


Undeniable

by Wolfstang14



Series: Able series [1]
Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Family, Pregnancy, TIVA - Freeform, violence in work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-08
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2018-03-11 01:06:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 40
Words: 55,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3310172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfstang14/pseuds/Wolfstang14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Over the years they've denied their feelings for each other. But now they can't go on denying any longer. Tiva! First ever fanfiction, written a couple of years ago on fanfiction.net, but I'm not going to change it. Just re-publishing it here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Love You

_ I love you. _

Three simple words. No idioms, no double meanings, just three words making one statement.

There was no real way to mix them up. No way for her to misspeak them, like she did with so many other English words.

_ I love you. _

She had said those words before! Maybe not in English, but she had said them nonetheless! So why couldn't she say them to _him?_

_ I love you. _

Playboy, frat boy, immature, wild card, cocky, full of himself, quoter-of-endless-movies.

Strong, kindhearted, moral, dependable, handsome, loyal, true.

Anthony DiNozzo.

_ I love you. _

It had taken her years to realize she loved him. No, years to **admit** she loved him. She had always known she loved him, deep down, but it she continuously refused to acknowledge it.

They'd started out as enemies. He was recovering from the loss of his partner Kate, and was full of anger towards her killer. She was the half-sister of Kate's killer, there to protect Ari, catching him fantasizing Kate naked. He was convinced she was a spy for Mossad, and even after Ari's death he took time to fully trust her.

The undercover assassin couple mission was the beginning. It wasn't the "physical" aspect of the mission that made her love him, but instead getting to know his wonderful personality that did it. She had tried to suppress her feelings, believing that she would have to return to Israel soon enough, but it would never go away.

Even after Tony killed her lover Michael it refused to leave. Sure, she might have been able to say she hated him the first couple of weeks after Michael's death, but the feeling was always there, and soon came back full force. But she couldn't, **wouldn't** admit it.

Then she made that fateful trip to Somalia. Getting captured by Saleem. The torture, oh the torture. The physical torture was bad enough, but it was nothing compared to the mental torture of knowing she would never see her NCIS family, and Tony, ever again. And they would never know what had truly befallen her- they would all believe that she'd gone down with the _Damocles_. She even thought that they didn't care, especially after the business with Michael. Hell, she probably didn't even deserve to be cared for after that. Those thoughts had bounced around until she couldn't bear it anymore, until the pain was too much, and she wished for death to take her into its cold embrace. She was ready.

But that had all changed one day when the hood was pulled off her head and she saw him bound to the chair across from her. He was dirty, beaten and drugged, but still the partner she had known and loved.

_ Tony. _

He and McGee. There, unbelievably, in the dirty, dust covered cell with her.

She remembered her feelings from that day. Disbelief when she heard that they had gotten themselves captured for her sake, the shared feeling of pain from the abuse from Saleem, the fear for their lives (she had given up on any chance of living), and the shear hopelessness when McGee was unable to disarm Saleem and when Saleem had the knife to her throat, ready to kill all of them. She was going to tell Tony then, certain that death was close, but then Saleem was shot by Gibbs, and the main concern became getting all of them out alive.

Unbidden, a memory flitted through her mind.

" _Why are you here?"_

" _Couldn't live without you I guess."_

_ The moment in the men's restroom, after her rescue. Why hadn't she just said it then? She had kissed him, for God's sake! _

Three simple, honest words!

_ I love you. _

Hadn't she learned by now that life was too short? Hell, she'd fallen in love with the dead man walking, she should have learned it from that. _So why couldn't she say it?_

_ What if he doesn't share my feelings? What if he doesn't love me? What if- You're a coward! A coward, Ziva David! **Just say it!** _

She looked across the bullpen to where Tony was sitting. He was leaning back casually, eyes closed, the ghost of his 100- watt smile on his handsome face. He looked to be asleep, but she knew from experience that he was alert for any sign of Gibbs approaching.

_ Tell him! _

She gathered her courage, and was just about to go over to his desk when Gibb's voice rang out.

"GEAR UP! Got a dead Marine downtown!"

"On your six, boss!" Tony snapped out of his seat and scooped up his backpack, all before Ziva could even reach for hers. He grinned at her as he passed.

"Getting a bit slow ninja?"

She glared at him, but didn't reply. Following him into the elevator, she let out a small, frustrated sigh.

_ I love you. _

Why couldn't she say it?


	2. Too Late

Tony sat quietly in the back seat of the Charger, doing his best not to stare at Ziva, who was sitting in front of him. She had beaten him to the front passenger seat, smirking at him just before she got in. "Face it Tony," she had said. "I'll always be quicker to the paint."

"Draw, Ziva. Quicker to the _draw_. Like _drawing_ your weapon." She glared at him, before slamming the door shut.

In a way he was glad she was mocking him again. She'd been too quiet these past few weeks. At first he thought that it was because she was angry at him for not attending her naturalization ceremony. He could understand why, of course. That ceremony had meant the world to her, and he hadn't been there, even though he had promised to go. But when he had apologized to her in private, she seemed understanding of the fact that he was forced onto a mission by Director Vance.

Still, it had hurt him not to go. It had taken a long time to realize it, and even longer to admit it, but deep down, Tony knew he loved Ziva. Truly, honestly, fully loved her. He had tried to mask it by acting like the immature, perpetual frat boy, but he couldn't hide from himself. He loved Ziva and it hurt him to see her so "off" like this. Suddenly an idea struck him. He'd take her out to dinner! He'd call it a "delayed congratulatory" dinner. And then he'd explain everything to her. He'd tell her how he felt about her. She might not share the same feelings for him, but he had to take the chance.

The Charger slammed to a halt in front of the familiar yellow crime scene tape, jolting Tony out of his musings, and into his seatbelt. He grunted, rubbing his shoulder.

_ NCIS. _ He thought. _If the perps don't kill you, Gibb's driving will._

He grabbed his gear and stepped out of the car. The dead marine lay slumped behind a Dumpster, sightless eyes staring up at the overcast sky. His throat had been slit from ear to ear. A Metro police officer, seeing the team, walked up to Gibbs.

"Garbage collectors found this guy about an hour ago. Military ID says he's PFC Richard Puentes. Fingerprints match the name. The two guys who found him are over there, but don't expect much. They didn't see anyone, and we couldn't find a murder weapon. He's all yours."

Gibbs nodded, and then turned back to his team.

"DiNozzo, photos. McGee, statements. David, look for the weapon. Duck…"

"Right here Jethro." Ducky walked up to the body, snapping on a pair of gloves. "Hmmmm. First look would say the cut to the jugular killed him. Plenty of blood, so it was not post mortem. I'll have to get him back to autopsy to confirm it. No defensive wounds, though." Ducky checked the liver probe. "Time of death, six hours ago. Ah, thank-you Mr. Palmer." Jimmy had rolled the gurney up, along with a body bag. He unzipped it, and he and Ducky quickly placed the body inside and then onto the gurney.

"Well, that's all I can do here, Jethro. It's off to autopsy for this poor fellow, unless you find the murder wea…" Ducky was cut short as a knife came whizzing through the air, burying itself two inches from Tony's head. He ducked, drawing his gun. Ziva, Gibbs and McGee did the same. A male voice rang out, with a heavy Hebrew accent.

"There's the murder weapon! Come get me, fools!" A man jumped out of a doorway and took off running down the street.

"I've got him!" Ziva yelled, and she took off after him. They ran down the street for a bit, then disappeared into a closed alley.

Gibbs motioned for McGee to bag the knife and went over to Tony, who was still on the ground, stunned, from the attack.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine boss, just shaken. We better make sure Ziva's doing okay with that bas…" Suddenly a shot rang out. Tony sprinted off to the alley where Ziva and the man had disappeared into, gun drawn. Gibbs and McGee followed close behind. When he got to the entrance of the alley, Tony stopped dead. The suspect was gone, but that wasn't the worst part.

Ziva was sprawled on the ground, a pool of blood quickly spreading from her chest.


	3. Let Me Tell You That I Love You

Pain. Sharp, burning, immeasurable pain. Ziva's vision flickered like a dying light bulb as she struggled to stay conscious. Suddenly a familiar voice broke through the curtain of pain, and she felt pressure on the bullet wound in her chest.

"Stay with me Zi. You're gonna be fine, McGee's called 911. Zi? Come on, stay with me, dammit!" Tony's voice was filled with fear. Ziva tried to answer, but she didn't have the strength to speak. What had gone wrong?

She remembered running after the man who had thrown the knife at Tony into the dead-end alley. She had entered carefully, gun pointed in front of her, but she was unable to see the man with all of the shadows.

"NCIS!" she had yelled. "Come out with your hands in the air!" When she got no response, she had cautiously stepped further into the alley, still trying to locate the man. She had gotten halfway in when a sharp pain exploded from the back of her skull. While the blow had not been enough to knock her unconscious, it was serious enough to completely disorient her and to drop her to the ground. The man had stepped out from his hiding place, an ice-cold look glinting in his black eyes. She couldn't see much else of his face- he wore a ski mask. He also wore dark clothes, explaining why he had been able to hide so easily. His lips pulled back into a feral smile as he bent over her.

"Eli was right." he said in Hebrew. "You should never have left Mossad. NCIS and America have made you weak."

Eli? Her father? Ziva struggled to comprehend what the man had said, but it was difficult to concentrate with the blow she'd received. Why would her father send someone here to get her? _And why would he have them attack her?_ It didn't matter now. She had to stop him. Ziva had lifted her gun, but before she had raised it an inch, the attacker's hand shot out and grasped her wrist in an iron grip. With his other hand he removed the gun from her hand, and then yanked her arm out straight, and slammed the hand holding the gun on her forearm, breaking the bone. She had yelped in pain, but stopped when she felt the barrel of her gun press against the side of her head.

"What do you want?" she whispered in Hebrew.

"Me?" he responded. "I want to gloat. Your father? He wants you back and working for Mossad again. After this, though, seeing how soft you've gotten, he may not care to have you back."

"It doesn't matter." she spat through gritted teeth. "I'm an American citizen now, and a NCIS agent. I don't work for Mossad anymore, and Eli David is dead to me."

Her assailant drew back with a startled hiss, and before she could do anything, he kicked her hard in the side, breaking several ribs. She hissed with pain, but refused to scream. He then raised her gun and pointed it at her chest.

"Goodbye, Ziva David." The gun flashed, and a white-hot pain ripped through her chest. He glared at her one more time, spat on her face, and then turned and disappeared into a doorway, dropping her gun with a gloved hand. Throughout the entire time his face had remained hidden.

The wail of an ambulance siren shattered her thoughts. Tony leaned over her, concern written all over his face. He was no longer putting pressure on her wound, Gibbs was doing that instead, but now he held her hand in both of his.

"They're almost here, Zi. Hang in there; you're going to make it! You have to make it, Ziva!" Ziva quickly gathered the remainder of her strength and managed to get her voice working again.

"Tony." He looked at her, green eyes soft.

"Save your strength Zi."

"No… my face… he spat… wipe my face… DNA… Mossad!" Her head dropped back to the ground and her vision started to go dark. Faintly she felt Tony wiping her face with his handkerchief, and she could hear the paramedic's voices as they approached. With the last of her strength she squeezed his hand and looked at him with her failing vision.

"Tony… I… love… you…" His eyes widened for a second, and then she just barely saw tears running down his strong face. He raised her hand to his lips and softly kissed it.

"I love you too Zi. That's why you can't die, you hear? I love you too much to let you die! Zi? Stay with me! I love you…"

But Ziva had already slipped into darkness.


	4. As Long As Your Mine

Tony watched helplessly as the paramedics loaded Ziva's still body into the ambulance. With quick, efficient movements they strapped an oxygen mask onto her face and placed an IV needle into her arm. Tony relaxed somewhat when he saw this- they wouldn't have bothered to do that if she was already dead. But he still feared the worst. There had been so much blood! As the paramedics finished up, Tony started towards the ambulance, intent on riding with Ziva, but he stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder- Gibbs. Gibbs waved the ambulance off with his free hand, and then spoke.

"We'll follow them. Let them do their jobs DiNozzo." Tony was too numb to argue. Gibbs turned to McGee.

"McGee, go back with Ducky and Palmer. No arguments." he said when McGee's mouth opened in protest. "I need you to bring all of the evidence to Abby's lab and tell her what happened. Sign off on all the evidence, and _then_ you can come to Bethesda." Just as McGee was about to turn and leave, Tony remembered something.

"McGee, wait." Tony pulled out the evidence bag that now contained the handkerchief that he'd wiped Ziva's face with. He tossed it to McGee, who caught it with a confused look on his face. "Ziva said that the kill- the man spat on her face. Apparently he's Mossad. That should have his DNA on it. Maybe Abby can get a hit." McGee nodded, and then gently put his hand on Tony's shoulder.

"We'll find him." he said softly. He turned and jogged away.

Gibbs started off towards the Charger, and Tony followed, still in a daze. He climbed into the passenger seat, remembering how Ziva had teased him for beating him to it just a few hours before. It felt like that had been a lifetime ago. Tony inhaled deeply, trying to breathe in Ziva's scent. Gibbs started the car, slammed down on the accelerator, and the Charger barreled into traffic, narrowly missing several cars. The two agents sat in complete silence throughout the entire trip to Bethesda.

When they arrived at the hospital's parking lot, Tony leapt out of the car and started quickly towards the Emergency Room entrance. Gibbs, after locking the car, followed close behind. The young nurse at the front desk looked up at the arrival of the two agents. Her perky expression quickly changed into a nervous one when she saw the hard looks on their faces and the guns at their sides.

"C-c-can I help you?" she stammered.

"NCIS" Gibbs said, beating Tony to the beat. He and Tony quickly flipped open their IDs. "We're here to check on Special Agent Ziva David. She was brought in a few minutes ago." The nurse typed something into her computer, and then glanced at the screen.

"I'm sorry sir. She's in surgery right now. If you could just have a seat, we'll inform you when you can see her."

"So she's alive." Tony said, relief flooding through his body. The nurse nodded. Gibbs motioned to Tony, and the two agents took a seat in the waiting lounge. After a few minutes of silence, Gibbs spoke.

"Tony."

"Yeah boss?"

Gibbs paused for a moment, as if he was unsure of what to say. Then he cleared his throat.

"I heard what you and Ziva said. About loving each other." Tony tiredly closed his eyes, waiting for the customary head slap and lecture.

"Did you mean it?"

Slightly surprised, Tony nodded. "Yes boss, I did."

Gibbs nodded. "Well then, I expect you to hold to that, DiNozzo."

"Wait, what about rule 12?"

Gibbs sighed. "Forget about it DiNozzo. It was inevitable; we all could see it coming for a long time, even me. I wish the circumstances had been different, but they're not. As long as you and Ziva keep it out of the work place, and you both respect one another, you have my blessing."

Tony was speechless. That was one of the longest things Gibbs had ever said, and it was very emotional for him, too.

"Thank-you boss." Gibbs nodded, and then leaned back and closed his eyes. However, at that moment the ER doors burst open and Abby flew in, McGee and Ducky trailing in her wake.

"OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod!" Tony suddenly found himself engulfed in one of Abby's infamous killer hugs.

"Abby," he gasped. "Not… breathing…" Abby pulled away, tears in her eyes. She immediately began to babble.

"OhmyGodTonythiscan'tbehappeningIt'llbeokayI''sgottabeokayShe'stootoughtodieOhmyGod!" As Abby took a breath, Gibbs got up and hugged her gently.

"Abby."

"Calming down Gibbs." Abby sat down text to Tony, still crying. McGee sat down next to her and awkwardly placed his arm around her shoulder. Abby gave Tim a weak smile, and then pulled out a lacy black handkerchief and wiped at her eyes.

Ducky turned to Gibbs. "Any news Jethro?"

"She's in surgery right now. That's all we know. Did anyone tell Vance?"

"I did." McGee said. "The Director said to take all the time we need. The case can wait. He'll try to come tomorrow."

"Good." Gibbs responded.

"So now we wait." Ducky sighed. He took the chair next to Gibbs and picked up a medical magazine.

The waiting room grew silent as the team sat and waited for news. Gibbs leaned back again, closed his eyes, and to all appearances fell asleep. Ducky continued to stare at the same spot on the magazine, flipping the pages occasionally, but not really reading anything. Abby stared into space, one finger subconsciously tracing the patterns on her coat. Tim, with his arm still around Abby, stared at his free hand in his lap, flexing and unflexing his fingers. Tony stared at the clock on the opposite wall, watching the seconds tick away.

…..

A few hours later, a white-coated female doctor strode into the waiting lounge. Everyone except for Gibbs looked up at her.

"Are you all the NCIS team waiting on Special Agent David?" she asked.

"Da-veed, and yes, we are." Gibbs responded, opening his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Da-veed. I'm Dr. Chris Jullman, I'll be in charge of Agent David while she's here." The doctor's tired face broke into a smile. "I'm very happy to report that the surgery went well, and that she is stable. Agent David has not woken up yet, but all of her vital signs are good, so we expect that she will wake soon. She also had three broken ribs and her right arm is broken, but we set all of those. If you want, all of you can come see her for a few minutes, but I can only allow one person to stay here overnight."

Tony glanced at Gibbs, who nodded.

"I'll be staying with her tonight." he said.

"All right then." Dr. Jullman replied. "If all of you would just follow me…"

When they arrived at Ziva's room in ICU, Dr. Jullman quietly pushed the door open. Ziva lay in the hospital bed, her face surprisingly peaceful. She had two IV tubes running to her left arm. One, carrying donor blood, ran to a vein in her arm. The other, filled with a clear liquid, led to the back of her left hand. Her right arm was in a sling, and she had an oxygen tube down her throat. Dr. Jullman handed Tony the paperwork so he could stay overnight, which he quickly filled out. The rest of the team said hello to Ziva, (Abby, despite the doctor's disapproving gaze, gave her a quick hug) and then filled out. Gibbs turned to Tony.

"We'll be working on the case back at base. Call if you need anything. Are you good for tonight?"

"I'll be fine until tomorrow." Tony replied.

"Take care, DiNozzo." Gibbs turned and walked out closing the door behind him. Tony pulled the reclining chair over to Ziva's bedside. He carefully grasped her hand below the IV, then leaned over and gently kissed her forehead.

"Love you Zi." he whispered.


	5. Finally Awake

Blackness.

Ziva struggled to pull herself from the consuming darkness, but her concentration kept slipping as spasms of pain shot though her body. She needed something to focus on to bring herself out, one singular though.

_ Tony. Focus on Tony. _

She focused on his face. She envisioned his eyes, those beautiful green "windows to the soul". Then his smile came to her mind. That wonderful, glorious, 100-watt, charming smile. She grasped his image with everything she had, and bit-by-bit the blackness fell away. She still could feel the pain, but now her other senses were coming back. She was waking up.

And that was when she realized that there was something down her throat, choking her.

Complete panic set in. Ziva's eyes flew open, and her hands clawed at the _thing_ in her throat. Chaos immediately ensued. She heard an alarm blaring from an unseen machine, and indistinct voices shouting in the distance. She could feel herself gagging, frantically trying to rid herself of the suffocating obstruction. Suddenly a pair of hands gently grabbed her own hands and pulled them away from her throat. Tony's voice spoke soothingly.

"Relax, Zi, take it easy. You're all right. You're in a hospital, and there's a breathing tube down your throat. The doctor's here to take it out. Just relax and open your mouth." Ziva complied with Tony's directions and to her immense relief she felt the awful tube being pulled out. She coughed hoarsely a few times after it was out, which caused her ribs to smart, and then felt the doctor place an oxygen mask over her face. The mask was hot and reeked of plastic, but it gave her breathable air and was a much better alternative to the tube. Plus it would allow her to talk. Ziva slowly calmed down and focused on breathing normally.

The doctor who had pulled out her tube now entered Ziva's line of sight. She was a pretty woman, who looked to be in her late 30's, with brunette hair, blue eyes, and an angular face. That face was lined from the stress of her job, but her eyes were very kind. She extended her hand to gently grasp Ziva's free hand.

"Hello Ziva." she said warmly. "My name is Dr. Chris Jullman. I'll be taking care of you while you're here." The doctor glanced up at the monitor connected to the wires on Ziva's body. "Other than that panicky moment back there, your vital signs are looking good. However, we'll need to keep you here for a while. You've got a broken arm, three broken ribs, and of course, a bullet wound that caused you to lose a lot of blood. Fortunately the bullet somehow missed your heart and major blood vessels, and we were able to safely recover it. So for now we're going to keep you on an IV and keep a blood transfusion going. Your job will be to rest, okay?" Ziva nodded. "Alright then. Just call the nurses if you need anything." Dr. Jullman turned and left, pulling the privacy curtain closed behind her.

Ziva closed her eyes and shifted quietly, wincing as the movement jostled her broken ribs. She felt a hand gently run through her hair and opened her eyes to see Tony watching her with concern.

"You okay, Zi?" he asked quietly.

"I am fine, just very sore." she replied. Silence stretched out. Unsure of what to say, she finally asked, "How is the rest of the team doing?"

Tony smiled. "They're fine. 'Course, they're all worried about you, even Gibbs. I'm sure they'll all be glad to hear that you're doing okay, especially Abby. She managed to sneak in a hug while you were out."

Ziva smiled at that. She really missed the team. "How long have I been here?"

Tony glanced at his watch. "Ummm… well, you were shot around 1300 yesterday…And it's 2035 right now… so about a day and a half."

Ziva grunted, and then winced as her ribs began to sting. "Have you been here all this time?" she asked.

"Almost. I left around 0700 to shower, change, and get some decent food. I also checked in at base to see how the case is going." he answered.

"And…?"

"No leads on your attacker. Are you sure that he said he was Mossad?"

"Yes, I am positive Tony! He spoke perfect Hebrew and I know he said he was!" Ziva snapped.

"Whoa, whoa, easy Ziva!" Tony responded, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I believe you, I just wanted to double-check. Not surprisingly we're having some major difficulties getting into Mossad's databases, even with both Abby and McGeek working on it."

Ziva smiled at the nickname. "I guess I am not surprised. Why would Eli allow you access when it would only incriminate him?" She sighed carefully. "I still cannot believe that he sent that man after me." She clenched her jaw, trying to hold back tears. Despite her efforts, a tear began to trickle down her face. The single tear opened up a flood, and Ziva found herself sobbing. Tony immediately began to rub her shoulder. Ziva couldn't calm down, though, and her gasps for air set off the alarm on her monitor. Hearing this, a nurse came bursting in, concern written all over her face.

"It's alright." Tony said. "She just got some emotional news. I'm working on calming her down." The nurse nodded, and reached up to reset the alarm. As soon as she left, Tony leaned over and very carefully placed his arm around Ziva's shoulder.

"Shhhh, Zi, shhhh. Everything gonna be alright. I promise no one will hurt you like that ever again. I love you Ziva." Those last four words were the ones she needed to hear. As Tony continued to gently rub her shoulder, Ziva whispered into his ear between sobs.

"I love you Tony. I love you so much. I meant it when I said it before, and I mean it now. I love you."

"I know, Zi, I know. Shhh, I've got you now sweetheart." Tony kept holding Ziva until her tears stopped and she fell into a peaceful slumber. Then he gently set her back onto the bed, grasped her hand, and leaned back in his chair. Within seconds, he too was fast asleep.


	6. A Decision

_ A week later _

Tony drove his blue Mustang into the now-familiar parking lot of Bethesda Naval Hospital. As he got out of the car, he paused to breathe in the fresh outside air. The case they were working on kept leading to more and more dead ends. Mossad was refusing to grant them any access to anything, and the killer had been completely thorough with everything else. They had his DNA, but nothing to compare it to, and the man had left no fingerprints. Tony sighed angrily. It was extremely frustrating, but at the moment he couldn't do anything about it. He locked his car and started off towards Ziva's room.

When Tony got to Ziva's floor, the pretty nurse at the nurse's station gave him a huge smile.

"Good afternoon, Agent DiNozzo. How are you today?" she chirped.

"Fine." Tony said distractedly. "How is Ziva doing?"

The nurse's smile faded. "She's doing… wonderfully. She's almost fully recovered. Go ahead in, she's been waiting for you." Somewhat puzzled by the nurse's response, Tony nodded and entered Ziva's room. Ziva was sitting upright, reading a book in Hebrew. While she was still hooked up to the monitor, the IV and blood tubes were both gone and she was looking much healthier than she had a week ago. When Tony stepped in, she looked up.

"Finally!" she snapped, slamming the book down on the table next to her.

Somewhat confused, and frightened, Tony cautiously asked, "You okay Zi?"

Those words were all it took to set off the explosion.

"No Tony, I am NOT okay! I have been in this same stupid room for the past WEEK, I have absolutely NO privacy, I am BORED out of my MIND, and NO ONE will let me leave! They stopped transfusing blood three days ago, and took out my IV yesterday. Damn it, Tony, I just WANT TO GO HOME!" Ziva finished her rather impressive tirade with several harsh-sounding foreign words. Tony absently wondered how many languages she had sworn in. He also knew why the nurse had not looked happy when he mentioned Ziva's name. Taking a deep breath, and making sure there were no paper clips around, Tony walked up to Ziva's bed.

"Zi," he said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. She promptly brushed it off. "Fine!" he snapped, crossing his arms. Before he knew it, he was yelling.

"I'm going to give it to you honest _Agent David._ You're in no way, shape or form ready to leave here! Yeah, sure they took out your IV. Yeah, you don't need any more blood. Yeah, I know you're a super ninja Mossad warrior. But you still can't make it to your bathroom six feet away unassisted without walking into a freaking wall!" Just as he finished, Tony felt a familiar sharp sting to the back of his head. He turned to see Gibbs walk in holding his ever-present coffee cup.

"Ziva, please give us a second." he said, as she was opening her mouth to retaliate. "You can kill him later. DiNozzo, you're with me." Gibbs turned and walked out of the room before Tony could say a word. Reluctantly Tony followed him. Gibbs went into the family lounge, and after checking to make sure it was empty, led Tony over to two chairs in the back corner. Tony was slightly surprised that Gibbs hadn't chosen to use the elevator to talk- then again; the hospital staff couldn't have an elevator out of commission. Tony sat down, staring at his clenched hands. The silence stretched out uncomfortably. Then Gibbs spoke.

"What the hell is going on DiNozzo?"

"Boss?"

"You've been short-tempered all week. And now you're blowing up at Ziva?" Gibbs left the question hanging.

"Guess it's just the stress of the case Boss." Tony replied lamely.

"We both know that's just a load of crap DiNozzo. What. Is. The. Real. Reason?" Gibbs leveled his famous ice-eye stare at Tony, who tried to stare back, but ended up dropping his eyes seconds later.

"I love Ziva, Boss. She means the world to me." He finally said.

"Tell me something I don't already know DiNozzo."

"Boss, please. I mean that I really, truly love her. Enough to ask…" Tony's voice trailed off.

"Ah. To ask THAT." Gibbs sighed softly.

"Yeah. But what if it's too soon? I mean, it's not like we've gone out or anything. What about my freedom? Will I lose that? What if Ziva doesn't feel the same?" Again Tony received a head slap.

"DiNozzo, you've been hiding this for too damn long. You both know each other more than your own parents do. As for your freedom, yeah, you'll lose some of it, but you'll gain so much more. And Ziva loves you. You know that." Gibbs took a swig of his coffee and fell silent. Tony stayed silent as well, digesting his words. Finally he spoke shakily.

"You- you're right boss. I-I've just been too stupid to see it. Thank you." Tony made to get up, but Gibbs stopped him.

"Tony." The use of his first name made him sit back down. "I can't tell you what to do; only you know the right answer for you. But I can tell you this: if you choose to ask Ziva, then both of you have my blessing." Gibbs stood up. "Make sure you apologize to her." Then he left.

Tony's head was still reeling from their talk when he got to Ziva's room. When he looked in, her eyes were closed, but as he came up to her bed, they snapped open.

"Ziva." He took a breath. "I'm sorry I yelled at you like that. You have all rights to be frustrated, and I was way out of line. I…" Tony stopped when Ziva held up her hand.

"No Tony. _I_ am sorry. It is not your fault that I am stuck here. I know that you are doing everything you can for me." She smiled, and suddenly, not knowing why, Tony leaned over and kissed Ziva on the lips, something he hadn't yet done. Her eyes widened, then they closed and she wove her uninjured hand into his hair. The two remained lost in their much-delayed passion until a nurse at the door cleared her throat. They quickly pulled away, blushing.

"Um… I need to run some tests with Agent David…" the nurse seemed to be trying to look anywhere but at Ziva and Tony.

"Oh yeah. Um, Ziva, I have to go anyway." Tony leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Love you." he whispered.

"I love you too." Ziva smiled and rested her hand on his cheek for a moment. After nodding to the embarrassed nurse, Tony left.

After Tony had gotten into his Mustang and drove out of the lot, he found himself driving in circles, head spinning with questions. Was he ready to do this? Was _she_ ready for this? Did Ziva really feel the same way about him that he felt about her? The questions kept on badgering him until a car horn blared and Tony realized he was so distracted that he had nearly sideswiped another car. Cursing himself for being so careless, he pulled into a nearby parking lot. Unable to think of anything else to clear his mind, he switched the radio on. The station was in the middle of playing a song that he recognized as the song "Live Like We're Dying" by Kris Allen. As he listened, the lyrics made him freeze.

_ Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come _

_ And we could make a feast from these crumbs _

_ And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun _

_ So if your life flashed before you _

_ What would you wished you would've done _

Wasn't that so true? He and Ziva both had barely escaped death several times, as evidence of what had happened a week ago. They might not be so lucky the next time!

__Yeah, we gotta start  
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given  
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking  
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking  
Gotta live like we're dying

_ We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to _

_ Turn it all around or to throw it all away _

_ We gotta tell them that we love them _

_ While we got the chance to say _

_ Gotta live like we're dying _

Tony was surprised to find tears running down his cheeks. How could he have been so stupid? Life was just too short not to _live._ He knew what he had to do. Starting the Mustang back up, he drove off the words of the song floating behind him like wisps of smoke.

_ You never know a good thing 'till it's gone… _


	7. Just One Small Band of Gold

Ziva was excited. No, excited was the wrong word. She was absolutely  _ecstatic._ Today,  _finally_ , she got to go home! No more nurses waking her at three in the morning to check on her, no more IV tubes, blood tubes or wires, no more annoying, beeping monitor that she was constantly tempted to smash in, no more stale, bare walls to stare at, and most importantly, no more nasty hospital smell that made her think of sickness and death. A nurse came in to help Ziva out of her hospital gown; her arm was still in its sling and her fractured ribs and gunshot wound still made her dizzy. But none of that mattered now. She was free, Free, FREE! Ziva's smile never left her face, even when the nurse had to help her dress, like a child. Just as she was finished being dressed, Dr. Jullman knocked on her doorframe.

"I see you're ready to go Ziva." she said with a smile.

"Very much so, Dr. Jullman. I am sorry for terrorizing your nurses, though." Ziva replied somewhat sheepishly. The nurse helping her gave a small snort of amusement.

Dr. Jullman chuckled in response. "It's alright Ziva. You're not the first person here to want to just go home, although I'm sure all of us now have quite the extensive vocabulary of Hebrew swear words." Ziva laughed at that. "Anyway, I'll go ahead and discharge you now. I've written up a pain medication prescription for you, you can take it as needed. I will warn you that it will make you pretty drowsy and loopy. Other than that, just try to take it easy until your arm, ribs and gunshot wound are all fully healed. And in ten weeks you should be able to get that cast off." She reached out and shook Ziva's uninjured hand. "It was nice to meet you Ziva, although I do wish the circumstances had been different. Oh, before I forget, Special Agent Gibbs is waiting down in the lobby to take you home."

"Thank you for everything Dr. Jullman." Ziva grabbed her bag of personal items that Tony had brought earlier that week and walked to the elevator as quickly as her still-healing injuries would allow. After riding the elevator to the first floor, Ziva stepped into the lobby and looked around for Gibbs, but was unable to locate him.

"Been a long time since I've had a beautiful young woman lookin' for me." Gibb's gravel voice sounded from behind her. Ziva turned to see him sipping a fresh cup of coffee with a small smile on his face. "You ready to leave?"

"I have been ready to leave for a while." she replied, smiling at his 'beautiful lady' comment. Before she could do anything else, Gibbs snatched her bag from her shoulder, swung it over his own, and started off. Shaking her head with amusement, Ziva followed him.

The ride back to her apartment was a quiet one. Gibbs, of course, was not well known for lengthy conversations, and Ziva's initial adrenaline rush from her happiness was wearing off, leaving her somewhat tired. Suddenly something occurred to her.

"Where is Tony? I guess I am surprised that he was not the one to pick me up." Ziva said.

"I had him stay with the rest of the team. I want them to find that Mossad bastard." Gibb's face remained neutral, and Ziva wondered if he was suddenly regretting letting the two of them be together.  _Or maybe he just wants to get the man responsible for hurting you Ziva_ she thought to herself. She had no time to ask, however, as Gibbs had pulled up to her apartment building. She noticed that her Mini Cooper was parked in front. She guessed someone had gotten it towed from the Navy Yard. As she was getting out of the Charger, Gibbs got out as well.

"Gibbs, I am very capable of walking to my apartment."

"No arguments Ziva. I'm making sure you get there alright." Ziva rolled her eyes at this, but didn't argue any further. The two rode the elevator up to her level, and then walked to Ziva's door. She retrieved her keys from her pocket and unlocked it.

"SURPRISE!"

Ziva staggered back in shock, her hand frantically reaching for the gun that wasn't at her hip. Gibbs placed a supporting hand on the small of her back, murmuring "Easy Ziva" in her ear. After she had recovered from the initial shock, Ziva's face lit up with joy. The entire team- Tony, McGee, Abby, Ducky and Palmer- were standing in her doorway, wearing comical party hats (even Ducky was wearing one) and beaming at her. They had completely cleaned up her apartment and then had decorated it from top to bottom with streamers, balloons and a huge shiny banner with the words "WELCOME HOME ZIVA!" written across it. The tantalizing smell of pizza wafted out of the doorway. Before Ziva could take one step into her apartment, she was engulfed in a hug from Abby.

"OhmyGodOhmyGodZivayou'reback!"

"Abby… ribs… hurt…" Immediately Abby let go with a sheepish "Sorry!", and then launched into full babble-mode.

"Do you like it Ziva? We had Gibbs pick you up, partly because he wouldn't wear a party hat, I thought it'd be cute, but he just wouldn't, and partly because Tony would have blabbed, Tony don't look at me like that, you know you would have told her, anyway, Gibbs had to pick your lock to get in, sorry about that, got weird looks from your neighbors for that…"

Letting Abby ramble on, Ziva walked up to Tony, intending to give him a peck on the cheek. Tony apparently had other ideas. Before she knew what he was doing, Tony had reached over, grabbed her gently around the waist, and pulled her into a full, movie-worthy kiss on the lips. Ziva immediately lost herself in his kiss, and the two only broke apart when Gibbs cleared his throat loudly. Blushing slightly, Ziva turned to the team.

"Thank you everyone. I really, really love that you did this for me." As the team clapped and cheered, Abby ran up and placed a party hat on Ziva's head. Ziva shot the bubbly Goth a glare.

"Hey!" Abby said. "You need a hat for your own party!" Ziva sighed, but relented. At that moment, her stomach let out a growl.

"Is that pizza I smell?" she asked.

Tony grinned. "Uh-oh. Sounds like the ninja's hungry. Let's eat!" The team nodded in agreement, and filed into Ziva's apartment, where a stack of pizza boxes and a cooler sat on top of three card tables pushed together. Folding chairs were set around the card tables to accommodate everyone. Everyone immediately sat down and began tearing open the pizza boxes and pulling cans of soda and beer out of the cooler.

Once everyone was settled, Tony stood up and removed his party hat.

"Hey everyone, just want to make a quick speech." Amid groans and rolled eyes, Tony cleared his throat. "Well, we're all here for one reason- Ziva's finally back! And I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we are all glad she is doing better. Ziva's irreplaceable. She's smart, brave, strong, quick, beautiful, and has crazy ninja skills. (Ziva glared at him) Okay, all joking aside, we're all very glad to have you back, Ziva. To Ziva David!" he said, raising his beer can. Around the table, everyone grinned and raised their cans in response, yelling "Ziva David!" Ziva smiled, touched by this gesture of friendship. She waited for Tony to sit down so that she could thank him, but he didn't. Instead, he put his can back down on the table, walked over to her left side, gently pulled her party hat off, and grasped her hand in both of his. His green eyes met her brown ones, and he spoke softly, yet loudly enough for all to hear.

"Ziva. I love you so much. I would do anything for you, anything at all. You want me to swim the whole Pacific Ocean? I'll do it in a heartbeat. You want me to go after that bastard who shot you on my own? Consider it done. I love you. I know it has taken years for me to admit it, but I have always loved you, and will always love you, and I fully intend to keep you safe with everything I've got. All I have is one question." Tony lowered himself down onto one knee, still holding her hand with one of his. The other hand darted behind his back and pulled out a small navy blue velvet box. Tony opened it to reveal a simple yet beautiful gold ring.

"Ziva David, will you marry me?"

The entire table went quiet, faces showing anticipation.

Ziva's eyes filled with tears, and her throat closed up. At that moment, she felt that she couldn't have loved Tony anymore than she did right then. She swallowed a few times, and finally was able to manage a small "Yes!" while nodding her head. She held out her hand, allowing Tony to slide the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. As Tony stood, tears gathering in his eyes, she rushed him and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Everyone at the table stood and clapped, cheering as well. The two broke apart, and Tony wrapped his arm around his fiancé's waist. Ziva looked happily at her new ring.

Just one small gold band.

It symbolized so much.


	8. Word Travels Fast

It had been two weeks since Tony had proposed to Ziva. The two hadn't managed to move in together at the moment, but they were constantly showing their affection in many little ways. Tony might find a note with the words "I love you" on his dashboard, and Ziva often had fresh flowers delivered to her apartment. They always seemed to be touching each other, whether it was holding hands or squeezing shoulders. And of course there were the passionate kisses whenever they could. They did their best to keep their displays of affection out of the workplace- Gibbs made sure of that.

Ever since the proposal, Ziva had been rapidly recovering. While she still had the cast on her right arm, and her ribs and gunshot wound still were bound, she no longer wore her sling and she was moving around with ease. While all of these things made Tony very happy, there was one thing that didn't. After only one day of resting and recovering, Ziva had returned to working at NCIS. Tony had tried to persuade her to stay home, but she had replied that she would go insane if she had to stay one more day at home, so he had finally relented. At least both Gibbs and Director Vance had forbidden her to return back to the field until at least her ribs and gunshot wound were mostly healed, a decision she hadn't been with. However, even Ziva had been able to deny that she wasn't in any shape for field work. So now she was stuck at her desk doing paperwork, and Tony was at the moment downtown, yet again, investigating the disappearance of a female Navy Lieutenant- Lieutenant Karena Perlin.

As Tony took pictures of the blood stain found at her apartment, he couldn't help but to wonder if the Lieutenant would be found alive. There was quite a bit of blood in the stain, and, unbidden, Tony's mind began to drift back to the day when Ziva was shot. The pool of blood spreading from her chest, brown eyes filled with pain…

"DiNozzo, get those photos taken!" Gibb's sharp voice snapped Tony out of his thoughts.

"Sorry Boss. Almost done here." Tony hastily snapped the last of the photos, suddenly eager to get back to base and see Ziva again. Gibbs and McGee finished processing the rest of the scene.

"Alright, there's nothing more we can do here. Let's get this all back to base." Gibbs said, pulling his gloves off. Tony practically jumped up from where he was crouching, nearly hitting his head on the desk next to him. McGee smirked at this, and Tony headslapped him.

"Don't smirk at your senior agent Probie." Tony winced as Gibbs headslapped him.

"Knock it off DiNozzo."

"Sorry Boss."

The three agents finished packing their bags and the evidence, and then headed to the Charger. Tony rushed forward and beat McGee to the front passenger seat, grinning at the junior agent's frustrated face.

"That's what you get for showing disrespect to your seniors, Probie." Tony said.

"DiNozzo, Ziva's going to be single again if you don't get your ass in the car **now**." Gibbs glared at Tony from the driver's seat.

"Getting in the car now, Boss." Tony quickly slipped into the seat, buckled up, and they sped off.

When the team got back to the Navy Yard, Tony was the first one into the bullpen. When he got there, he found Ziva fast asleep at her desk, her head cradled in her uninjured arm. A pile of finished paperwork was stacked next to her. Tony couldn't help grinning at the sight. Even in sleep his fiancé was beautiful.

"Sleeping on the job Miss David? That kind of behavior could get you fired." Ziva's head snapped up, and she rubbed her eyes. She stuck her tongue out at Tony, who responded by tousling her hair. She reflexively grabbed his wrist, but let go when Gibbs came up.

"You two done grab-assin'?"

"Sorry Gibbs." "Sorry Boss."

Gibbs grunted, but before he could respond, his desk phone rang, and he walked over to answer it. "Gibbs." he stated into the receiver. There was a pause. "Who?" Gibb's face grew dark as he listened. The rest of the team stared at him, anxious. "No. No, she shouldn't have to… _He_ sent him… Why? They haven't been cooperating..." he stopped and listened for a few more minutes, then sighed. "Alright, but DiNozzo comes too- he hears the news, maybe he'll see then." Gibbs slammed the phone down and looked up at the rest of the team, fury written across his face. Tony unconsciously wrapped his arm protectively around Ziva's opposite shoulder, and felt her move closer to him. Gibbs spoke, barely suppressed anger in his voice.

"David, DiNozzo, the Director wants the two of you and me in the conference room right now."

"What's going on Boss?" Tony asked.

Gibb's blue eyes flashed angrily. "Apparently word of the attack on Ziva made its way to Israel- to Mossad." He closed his eyes briefly.

"Eli David is here."


	9. A Visit of Pain and Hope

_ Gibb's blue eyes flashed angrily. "Apparently word of the attack on Ziva made its way to Israel- to Mossad." He closed his eyes briefly. _

" _Eli David is here."_

Ziva felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. Eli was here. The man who was her father, but he was the person who had ordered her to Somalia and into Saleem's torturing hands. The man who at one time she had called "Papa", but who had apparently sent a man to kill her if she didn't return to Mossad. The man whom she swore was dead to her. And now he was in the Navy Yard, wanting to talk to her. How could she possibly do this? Just then Ziva felt Tony give her shoulder a squeeze and remembered that both he and Gibbs would be there. Her _real_ family was always there for her. Drawing strength from that thought, Ziva slowly stood and followed Gibbs ups the stairs to the conference room. While they were walking, Tony moved his hand from her shoulder and intertwined his fingers in hers. As the two walked up the stairs, Tony leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"I'm here for you Zi. Don't you forget that. Everything will work out okay." Ziva nodded, but couldn't trust herself to speak. When they got to the conference room, the door was partly closed and Director Vance was standing outside it. When he saw Ziva, his gaze softened.

"I know I'm asking a lot Agent David, but if you speak to your fath- Director David, he may allow us into Mossad's agent database and we can find the person who did this to you." Vance nodded towards Ziva's broken arm. Ziva released Tony's hand and straightened her body.

"I understand Director. I am ready." With that, Vance pushed the door open and the group entered the room.

Eli David was facing the window when they entered, but he turned when he heard their footsteps. Ziva was shocked when she saw him. He had lost a lot of weight, and his face was drawn and haggard. Although it had only been a year since she had last seen him, Eli seemed to have aged ten years. Despite her anger for what he had done to her, Ziva could not help but to feel somewhat sorry for him. Eli truly had become an old man.

Eli's eyes flicked over Gibbs and Tony, and then rested on Ziva, lingering over her broken arm. His lips moved slightly, as if praying and his eyes showed pain. He shook his head, and then stood up straighter.

"Ziva. Thank you for coming to talk to me." His formal tone only made Ziva tighten her jaw. Rather than risk losing her temper, she stayed silent and took a seat a few chairs away from Eli. Tony sat down next to her and Gibbs next to him. Vance remained standing. Eli sighed, and then spoke.

"I am here because NCIS has been continuously requesting the agent database from Mossad. They say that a man claiming to be a Mossad agent killed a U.S. Marine and shot my daughter." Eli paused, seeming to struggle for words. "What happened?" he finally asked.

Ziva turned to Gibbs, asking him with her eyes to help her. Gibbs nodded and then began to relate the story to Eli, allowing Ziva to fill in when it came to the part when she encountered the man. Ziva spoke in a flat monotone, unable to look at Eli. She looked out the window instead. When she had finished, silence filled the room. Tony squeezed her hand under the table. When Ziva was finally able to look at Eli, she was surprised to see that his face was buried in his hands. When he looked up, anguish was written all over his normally stoic face. His normally strong voice shook as he asked, "Ziva… I can't… did this really happen?" Suddenly Ziva knew what she needed to do. Turning to her team members she asked, "Director Vance, Gibbs, Tony, may I have a moment alone?" Gibbs and Vance glanced at her, and then nodded. Tony opened his mouth, but catching sight of Ziva's face, he closed it, gave her hand one more squeeze, got up and left, Vance and Gibbs following him. When they walked out and closed the door, Ziva rose. Eli's eyes followed her, but he remained silent.

"You want to see what he did to me?" she snarled in Hebrew. "Then see it!" Ziva pulled her shirt off (she wore a sports bra underneath) and carefully pulled the gauze off of her wound. "There." she snapped, pointing at the mass of stitches and ravaged flesh. Eli's face was stricken. Ziva pulled her shirt back on, and then sat back down, tears forming in her eyes. Hastily she brushed them away.

"Why?" To her shame, her voice broke. "Why did you do this to me? Was sending me off to Somalia not enough? No! You had to send an assassin! He said _you_ sent him!" The tears she was holding back broke through and rolled down her cheeks. Eli looked to be on the verge of tears himself.

"He… he was never supposed to hurt you! Don't you see? I just wanted to bring you back… he went too far…" The tears in his eyes overflowed as well. "Ziva, I just want you back. Somalia was a- it never should have happened." He looked at her. "Please daughter." He held his hand out to her, but she pulled away.

"No. You threw me to the wolves _Eli_. No matter what your intentions were, **you left me**. _NCIS_ came for me. Tony and McGee came for me. They didn't have to, they didn't even think that I was alive, but they came to revenge me." Her anger finally spent, she sighed. "I could not go back even if I wanted to. I became an American citizen several months ago. I am now a full NCIS agent." Eli's face didn't look surprised. He had heard. "I am also engaged to Tony." At that, Eli's head snapped up. His eyes widened in shock as Ziva showed him her ring. Gently he took her hand, and this time she didn't pull away.

"I wondered why he was here." Eli said softly. He met Ziva's gaze. "Daughter, I know that I cannot be easily forgiven for what I did. And I can now see your place is here, and not Mossad. For what it means, I give you my blessing. Both of you. Maybe one day you can forgive me. For now, I will give NCIS full access to Mossad's agent records, and Mossad's full cooperation. As for the man I sent…" Eli pulled a pad of paper and a pen from the desk behind him. He wrote the name down, ripped the paper off the pad, and passed it to Ziva.

"Melek Biram." she read.

"Yes. We lost contact with him around the time you say he shot you, and have been able to locate him. His DNA is in our records." Ziva rose to leave.

"Ziva." She turned look to him. "Congratulations on your engagement. And I am so sorry." Ziva walked over and placed her hand lightly on his.

"I cannot forgive you just yet. But I am willing to try. Goodbye El- goodbye father." Ziva left the conference room, and found Tony waiting for her just outside the door. Tears started to run down her face again, and she collapsed into his warm, waiting embrace.


	10. Healing and Planning

Tony slowly rocked his fiancé back and forth, murmuring soft words in her ear. Gibbs and Vance had gone back into the conference room to speak to Eli, so the two relished their private moment together. Eventually Ziva was able to stop crying, and she pulled back, wiping her eyes.

"Anything I can do Zi?" Tony asked softly, brushing a stray lock out of Ziva's face.

"No Tony, I am fine. It is just… difficult. I do not know what to think right now." Ziva rested her head on Tony's chest as he rubbed her back. Gibbs, Vance and Eli emerged from the conference room. Eli nodded briefly to Tony and then walked with Vance to his office. Gibbs took in Ziva's tear-stained face and Tony's solemn one, and then checked his watch.

"Go home you two." he grunted. "Get some rest."

"But what about the case, Boss? Ziva's got the name of the guy that Eli sent." Tony wanted to catch the bastard NOW.

"There's nothing we can do now DiNozzo. Biram's gone off the map. The hotel room that he was supposed to be staying at has been unoccupied for the last few weeks, and his phone is off or destroyed. The best thing you two can do is to go home and get some rest." Gibbs turned and walked down the stairs. Tony put his arm around Ziva and the two agents followed suit.

Tony and Ziva packed up for the night, said goodbye to McGee and walked to the parking lot. Because of Ziva's broken arm, she was unable to drive, so Tony had been driving her to and from Navy Yard for the past few weeks. This of course annoyed her to no end. She hated having to depend on Tony like that, and she always pestered him for driving too slow, but there was no other option. Tonight however, Ziva was uncharacteristically silent as Tony drove to her apartment. Finally Tony couldn't take it anymore and asked Ziva what was wrong. At first she denied that anything was wrong, but after a minute of silence, she spoke.

"I am conflicted Tony. I do not know what to think of my father anymore. It was so easy to hate him before for all that he put me though, but after the visit today, I do not know how I truly feel about him. I am still very angry for the Somalia business, and for the fact that he sent someone to bring me back without asking me what I wanted, but I saw true remorse and anguish from him today. And that makes everything much more confusing for me. There are just too many thoughts bounding around in my head right now." Ziva sighed deeply.

"Bouncing. Bouncing around in your head." Ziva rolled her eyes at this, but a small smile appeared, cheering Tony up. Then he decided to ask the big question that was bouncing around in  _his_ head.

"Zi, would you like me to stay over at your apartment tonight? I'd offer mine, but it's a real mess and it'd take me hours to clean it up. I just thought you might like some company tonight after today's events. If you'd rather be alone, I understand." Ziva remained silent for a moment, and then she nodded.

"I would like that a lot Tony."

"Alright, but you'll have to let me cook dinner. I insist." Tony said, seeing Ziva start to argue. He pulled up to Ziva's building and helped her out. He gave her a kiss on the lips.

"I'll be back in about an hour. I just have to get my stuff and pick up the ingredients for dinner. Love you Zi." he gave her one last peck on the cheek.

"I love you too, Tony." Ziva whispered back.

…..

An hour later Tony was in Ziva's kitchen pouring spaghetti sauce and a blend of spices into a pot of noodles and meatballs, and then stirring it in. The scent of garlic bread wafted from the oven. Ziva silently snuck up behind Tony and swiped her finger through the near-empty bowl that contained the spaghetti sauce, and then licked it, eyes twinkling.

"Ziva!" Tony complained. "Wait until dinner!"

Ignoring his complaint, Ziva asked, "This is wonderful Tony! What did you put into it?"

"That's my secret." he said with a wink. Ziva pouted. "The spaghetti's almost finished, Love. Would you please take the bread out of the oven?"

A few minutes later Tony and Ziva were seated and eating. After complimenting Tony once again on the dinner, Ziva brought up the issue of their wedding.

"Tony, our wedding is only a few months from now, and we haven't even figured out who will be in our ceremony. I personally would like this to be a small, private ceremony, with just those close to us."

"I agree Ziva. One of the biggest questions that I have is how to approach the ceremony. I am not very religious, so if you would like to have a traditional Jewish wedding, that would be fine by me. Or if you would like the more 'American' wedding, that's fine. I am willing to do either, or both if you want."

Ziva smiled. "I have that figured out. I'd like to incorporate elements of both types of weddings into one ceremony. There is a man that I know of who performs marriage ceremonies in that manner. I would like to have an American-style wedding, with some Jewish elements in it. There is one thing I want to ask you about, however."

"What's that?"

"I would like to do my vows in Hebrew. I would have it translated into English on the programs, but I would like to keep some of my old life in this."

"Of course Ziva! I would love for you to do that!" Ziva's smile widened. "Now all we have to do is figure out who will be in the ceremony." Tony finished.

"Abby as the Maid of Honor. No questions there." Ziva stated.

"And McGee for the best man." Tony replied.

"Do you think we should have Sara McGee as a bridesmaid?" Ziva asked.

"Of course! And Ducky for another groomsman. I think that Palmer and Director Vance could be ushers. Wait- what about Gibbs?"

"I would like for Gibbs to be my 'father' for my wedding."

"Eli…"

"No. I do not trust him to remain supportive of our marriage. And I still think of Gibbs more as my father than Eli." Ziva's eyes flashed.

"I totally understand Zi. Gibbs it is. Do you want anyone else?"

"For the ceremonial part? No, I'd like it small Tony."

"That's sounds fine to me. So, to recap, Gibbs will be the father of the bride…" Tony started.

"Abby will be the Maid of Honor…" Ziva continued.

"McGee as the best man…"

"Sara as a bridesmaid…"

"Ducky as a groomsman…"

"And Director Vance and Palmer as ushers." Ziva finished. "I believe we have our ceremony planned Tony!"

Tony and Ziva finished dinner and washed their dishes, chatting excitedly about the wedding. When they were finished, they took turns showering and prepared for bed.

As Tony set the couch up for sleeping, he noticed that Ziva had grown quiet once again. When he asked her if she was okay, she brushed it off as tiredness, and went into her bedroom, closing the door.

Ziva's apartment grew quiet, but Tony couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned with restless energy, trying to fall asleep. As he lay staring dejectedly at the ceiling, he heard Ziva's bedroom door open.

"Tony?"

"Yeah Zi?"

Tony could just make out Ziva's outline as she walked towards him. He switched on the lamp next to his bed and blinked at the brightness. Ziva's face was full of anguish, and it was clear she had been just crying.

"Zi, what's wrong?" Tony sat up, shivering slightly as the cold night air blew across his bare chest.

"I- I am sorry if I woke you up. I just could not stop thinking about Saleem and Somalia. My father's visit today brought up those terrible memories." Tony patted the empty space on the couch next to him, and she sat down. He wrapped his arm around her waist. "My back started to hurt too." Ziva added.

"Wait, your back?" Tony was confused.

Ziva looked at him, pain and sadness mixing in her eyes. She gently pulled Tony's arm off of her waist, stood up, and pulled off the oversized nightshirt she wore, standing in underwear and nothing else. Tony felt a momentary tightness in his lower regions as she stood there naked, but then Ziva turned around and burning fury, along with disgust towards Saleem washed over him.

Ziva's once-pristine back was now an ugly mess of scar tissue. From her shoulders down to her thighs, black scars crisscrossed one another, marring her tanned flesh. To add to the horror, several harsh, red, circular burn marks, most likely caused by a cigarette pressed into her back, where spread across her back. Ziva stood absolutely still as Tony gently traced a particularly nasty scar that ran from her right shoulder to her left side. Ziva spoke in a small, defeated voice.

"The pain is psychological. Saleem has been dead for a year, but I still feel his beatings as if they were yesterday." Ziva hung her head, and from the shaking of her body, Tony knew she was crying again. He also knew that he could say nothing to comfort her, but there might be something he could  _do_. He helped her back into her nightshirt, and then led her back into her room.

As Ziva climbed into her bed, rather than going back onto the couch, Tony climbed in with her and wrapped her in a warm embrace. Ziva laid her head on his chest as Tony ran his fingers through her hair. As he had suspected, the loving embrace did what no words could have done, for it wasn't long before Ziva's tears stopped and she slipped into sleep. The sound of her soft, peaceful breathing felt soothing to Tony, and it wasn't long before he felt sleepy. Kissing the head resting on his chest, Tony tightened his embrace slightly and was soon fast asleep.


	11. Of Goths and Dresses

When Ziva woke up, her first feeling was one of brief panic when she felt a pair of arms around her. She was reaching for her gun when she remembered the events of last night. She turned to face Tony, who was still asleep, and love quickly washed away all panic. Even in slumber, her fiancé's handsome face had traces of a goofy look on it. Contentment settled over Ziva like a warm blanket, and she snuggled deeper into Tony's bare chest, waking him up. His green eyes looked startled for a moment, and then they softened as he freed a hand to run it through her hair. He rubbed her side with his other hand.

"Morning Love." he whispered. Ziva responded by winding her hands in his hair and pulling his face to hers. His hungry mouth met hers, and the two spent several moments reveling in their passion. Just as they broke apart to breathe, Ziva's cell phone gave a shrill ring. She groaned, picked up the device, and was contemplating hanging up until she saw that the caller was Gibbs. Sighing, she flipped the phone open while smacking Tony, who was playfully trying to pull up her nightshirt.

"Shalom, Gibbs." she said into the mouthpiece. As Tony's wandering hand once again reached for her nightshirt, she closed her hand around his wrist, causing him to yelp.

"Thought DiNozzo might be there. Tell him to stop grab-assin' you and to get ready. Lieutenant Perlin was found dead this morning." Gibbs did not sound pleased.

"What about me, Gibbs?" Ziva asked. Tony, who had been eavesdropping, rolled out of the bed and went into her living room to get changed.

"No Ziva. You can come to base if you want, but I'm not allowing you back into the field until next week."

"But.."

"Argue with me anymore and I'll make it two." Ziva growled, but didn't pursue the matter further. "You can help Abby." Gibbs finished.

"Very well. We'll be there soon Gibbs." Ziva was answered by the dial tone.  _I HATE it when he hangs up on me!_  she thought. Ziva got out of bed, hastily made it up, and then dressed with some difficulty in a plain blue blouse and her typical cargo pants. As she walked out into the living room, Tony met her with a kiss and an energy bar. The two ate as they walked to Tony's Mustang. Ziva climbed unhappily into the front passenger seat and started muttering curses in Hebrew as Tony drove off. They made it to the Navy Yard in record time and were met by Gibbs and McGee as they pulled in. Tony joined the two male agents as Ziva dejectedly walked towards the NCIS building. As she crossed the parking lot, she heard the familiar rumble of the Charger's engine and the squeal of tires as it sped off. Feeling even more forlorn, Ziva entered the NCIS building, dropped her gear at her desk, bought a Caf-Pow and went to Abby's lab.

As Ziva walked into Labby, she automatically covered her ears as the pounding waves of music blasted through the open door. Abby was busy typing at her computer. Ziva set the Caf-Pow next to her.

"Thanks Gibbs, but I don't have anything for you yet." Abby said, not taking her eyes off of the computer monitor.

"Abby, it's me." Ziva replied. Abby turned with an "Oh!" of surprise and then engulfed her friend in a hug. Pulling away, she bounced and clapped happily.

"I can't believe you and Tony are only a month away from being married! There's just so much to do! We have to shop for a dress for you, and plan the ceremony, and…"

"Abby." Ziva quickly cut the Goth off before she got into full ramble-mode. "Tony and I have already figured out the ceremony." Ziva gave Abby a brief rundown of the ceremony and then asked the important question. "Abby, would you be my maid of honor?"

"Oh my God Ziva, of course! This is going to be so great, I can't wait to get a dress…" Ziva quickly cut Abby off yet again.

"Abby, no skulls, no black." she said. Abby's face fell, but she perked up when Ziva said "Will you help me go shopping for my dress?"

"YES! Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow." Ziva said with a laugh.

…..

_The next day_

Ziva sat in the passenger seat of Abby's strange red car, wondering now if going dress shopping with the quirky forensic scientist was such a good idea after all. Abby had said that she knew of the "perfect" dress shop; knowing Abby it would be something straight out of a vampire movie. However, when Abby pulled to a stop in front of the shop, Ziva was relieved to see that the shop was completely normal-looking, and actually quite cute. The dresses on display were gorgeous, and the shop looked welcoming. As they entered, a bell twinkled and they were instantly greeted by a petite and elderly African American woman with silver hair, brown eyes that sparked with energy, and a dazzling smile. A roll of measuring tape was draped over one shoulder. As soon as she spotted Abby, the two embraced.

"Abigail! It's been too long, honey! When I'm done here, remind you to return your Brain Matter CD! I thought it was wonderful! Oh, and you must be Ziva!" The elderly woman gave Ziva a hug to rival Abby's. "Oh my, I seem to have forgotten my manners! My name is Jane Shearton, and this is my dress shop! So I hear you need a wedding dress, lucky girl! Let's see what I have…" as Jane hurried off, still rambling, a very fazed Ziva turned to Abby.

"She listens to Brain Matter?" was all Ziva could ask.

"Oh yeah!" Abby replied enthusiastically. "That's how we met! My friend in the band was getting married, and I was going to be one of her bridesmaids. Jane actually showed up during one of the rehearsals, and she loved them! We've been friends ever since." Now that Ziva thought about it, Jane seemed much like an older version of Abby. Abby continued. "She makes these really great custom dresses, too! She made this fantastic winged black dress for my friend…" Catching sight of Ziva's face Abby quickly added "Don't worry! She makes the traditional dresses too, you saw those in the window!" Ziva relaxed slightly, but kept her eyes open for any skull patterns. Just then Jane came scurrying back, several dresses heaped over her arms, making her look like she was being eaten alive. Ziva was very relieved to see that they were all normal-looking. Jane carefully placed the dresses on the table, just as Ziva thought of something.

"Um… Mrs. Shearton?"

"Just call me Jane, honey!" Jane said, sorting through the dresses.

"Right, Jane. Do I not need to be measured first?"

Jane looked up from the dresses. "Honey, I've been making and measuring wedding dresses for over 40 years. I don't need to measure you. In fact, if the dress doesn't fit you, I'll take up the bill." Ziva shrugged, but let the matter drop. "Alright, I think I've found a great one for you!" Jane held up a beautiful slim dress. It was strapless, and form-fitting on top, but it flowed out on the bottom. Ziva loved it, but she immediately knew there was a problem.

"Jane, it's very beautiful." Ziva said softly. "But I am afraid I cannot wear it."

"Nonsense, honey! Trust me, it's not too expensive, and I told you it'll fit!" Jane looked unhappy to be questioned, but Abby's face showed immediate understanding. She too knew about Ziva's back.

"Jane, Ziva doesn't mean that she's worried about the fit or the price. She's worried because she had an accident on the job that left her back scarred." Which, of course, was partly the truth. "Ziva needs something that can cover her whole back."

Jane's mouth made an 'O'. "Ziva, I'm so sorry! Let me go see what I have." Once again Jane scurried off and returned a few minutes later with a smaller armful of dresses. Pushing the previous pile further back on the table, she expertly sorted through the new stack, humming tunelessly as she worked. Suddenly she gave an "Aha!" and pulled one out. She handed it to Ziva with a flourish, and pushed her towards the dressing room. A few minutes, and several Hebrew and English curses later, Ziva emerged from the dressing room, earning a gasp from Abby and a beaming smile from Jane.

Even with her cast on her arm, Ziva looked stunning. The top of the dress looked much like a sleeveless blouse- it had a low, flattering neckline, but still covered all of Ziva's ravaged back. The dress, rather than being ornate, wide and frilly, was instead simple, narrow and absolutely gorgeous. The silvery-white color complimented Ziva's olive skin, and the entire dress fit her like a glove, flowing beautifully with every movement.

Looking at the dress, Ziva knew that it was the right choice. This was it, the final piece for planning her wedding.

"I'll take it." she said softly. Abby and Jane just beamed.


	12. The Wedding

He had faced gang members, drug addicts, psychotic killers, terrorists and a steroid-crazed Marine. He had been punched, kicked, tackled, shot and had even survived the pneumonic plague. All were scary situations, but none held a candle to today's event. Today Tony was getting married, and he was nervous as hell. He couldn't even pinpoint one single thing that was making him so nervous, all he could feel was one huge ball of anxiety in his gut. As Tony bounced around in his tuxedo, trying to work out his fear, he felt a familiar sting to the back of his head and an even more familiar growl of a voice sound from behind him.

"Cool it, DiNozzo. You're  **not** going to screw up this wedding by acting like this, you hear? You are  **not** going to mess this day up for Ziva." Gibbs glared at Tony, who immediately stopped bouncing. In a much gentler tone, he said, "You'll be fine, Tony. You know this is right. Think of Ziva." Tony nodded at this, and then envisioned his fiancé's beautiful face, with her gorgeous smile, and he felt the anxiety melt away. Tony took a deep breath, made a few minor adjustments to his tuxedo, and then walked with McGee and Ducky to the door that they would all come out of. Gibbs had already left to take his position as the father of the bride. As he stood at the door, Tony couldn't help but to grin. It had taken so many years, and a near-death experience for Ziva, but it had finally come to this special day.

Tony adjusted his collar one more time and waited for his cue to start.

…..

In her changing room, Ziva sat silently as both Abby and Sara fussed with her hair, and as Jane put the finishing touches on her dress. Ziva nervously rubbed the area where her cast had been, not trusting herself to speak. She could feel her entire body shaking. Jane seemed to have also felt this, as she suddenly stood up and gently cupped Ziva's chin in her hands, and met Ziva's eyes with her own.

"Honey, it ain't easy getting married. Trust me, I know that. But from what Abigail has told me, and from what I've seen with my own eyes, you've got the perfect man in Mr. DiNozzo. Remember how you felt when he proposed to you? You love this man, and that's all that matters." Jane gave Ziva a comforting hug, being sure not to mess up her hair or dress. Jane made sure the dress was finished, and then squeezed Ziva's hand.

"Go kick some ass, honey!"

Ziva, Abby and Sara were met at the door by Gibbs. Sara and Abby gave Gibbs a quick hello and then went to line up for the procession outside. Gibbs turned to Ziva, gently taking both of her hands in his.

"Ready Zivers?" he said softly. She nodded, the nervousness returning yet again.

"You'll be fine. You two were meant to be together." Gibbs gave Ziva an encouraging kiss on the top of her head, and then linked his arm in hers.

It was time.

…..

The music started. The ceremony was being held outside in a park near D.C, so the procession started inside the building and went outside into the beautiful park. Tony was the first one to go down the aisle. He took his place under the chuppah*, one of the Jewish elements that Ziva had requested for their wedding. As he stood and waited for the rest of the procession, Tony quickly took in the small crowd. Director Vance, as an usher, was there with his wife and two children. Palmer, the other usher, and his girlfriend Breena sat next to an almost-fully-recovered Gerald, who was still surprised that Tony was settling down. Tobias Fornell and his daughter Emily were there, sitting next Maggie, Kelly's old friend. Mike Franks, his daughter-in-law Layla, and granddaughter Amira were there, Mike looking cranky without his usual cigarette. Cynthia the secretary was also there, along with the retired Colonel Hollis Mann, who had made a special trip from Hawaii to see them. The rest of the crowd was made up of a mix of NCIS co-workers, a few FBI agents, and the CGIS team that they had worked with. Jane, of course, was there alongside Dr. Jordan Hampton, Ducky's old flame. Tony also glanced at a special table that had been set up. On it was a sign that said "Not here, but in our hearts." and there were photos of Kate Todd, Jenny Shepard, Paula Cassidy and Roy Sanders. It was a nice touch, and Tony felt a slight pull at his heart seeing his old friends.

Tony snapped back to attention as the rest of the procession continued. Abby and McGee were the next two to walk down the aisle. Despite Ziva's protests, Abby had managed to get a black dress, but it was a lacy one, and actually looked quite beautiful- it had a low-cut neck, spaghetti straps, and an open back. McGee seemed to particularly enjoy the dress; Tony kept seeing him catch several quick glances at Abby as they moved down the aisle. When they got to the chuppah, they split to either side, and then stood there, beaming. Sara McGee and Ducky followed. Sara wore a pretty navy-blue satiny dress, strapless, and it showed her figure beautifully. Ducky, in his tuxedo, wore his ever-present bow tie and his wonderful smile. The two also split and took up their respective places. Then it was time for Ziva to come in.

When he saw her, Tony could not believe his eyes.

Ziva and Gibbs walked proudly down the aisle. Gibbs looked happier than anyone had seen him before. In fact, Tony thought, he looked like he couldn't have been any happier than if he had been leading his Kelly down the aisle. And Ziva- Ziva looked positively amazing. Her beautiful wedding dress and lithe form drew admiring glances from the men and envious ones from the women. Just then, the sun's rays came out and struck Ziva, lighting her from behind and making her seem like she was glowing. The audience gasped, and Ton felt tears of shear happiness well up in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away, and then took both of Ziva's hands as she entered the chuppah. Gibbs returned to his seat in front. The man who did mixed-religion ceremonies- Isaac Lopez- stood up, smiled and began the wedding.

…..

As Ziva gazed lovingly into Tony's green eyes, she half-heard Isaac start the wedding. The rabbi/minister had an interesting ancestry. His mother was an Israeli Jew, who had traveled to Spain for business, only to meet and fall in love with his Spanish father, a Roman Catholic. Because of this mixed heritage, Isaac specialized in marrying couples of mixed religions. Isaac's strong, rich voice carried out over the crowd.

"Dear friends, welcome. We are gathered here today to witness the union of Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva David…" the ceremony continued on, and Ziva did her best to listen to it, but she kept losing herself in Tony's adoring gaze. Soon, however, Isaac called on the two to recite their vows. Tony started first with his.

"Ziva David, I promise to love, cherish and honor you for as long as I live. I promise that I will protect you with everything I have, and love you with all of my being. You are the love of my life, and I will never forget that." Tony's eyes gleamed with tears, but he smiled his famous smile as well.

Ziva then recited her vow. Because it was in Hebrew, there a rustle of papers as the guests strove to find the English translation. Tony, however, needed no translation. Ziva knew he had memorized every word and its meaning.

"Tony DiNozzo, I promise to love, cherish and honor you all the days of my life. I will guard you with my life, and love you with my whole being. Where you go, I will go, where you stay, I will stay. It is with a pure heart that I say I love you." Ziva also felt tears of joy well up in her eyes as she finished. Isaac smiled, and continued from there.

"Anthony DiNozzo, do you promise to love, honor and cherish Ziva David, through good times and through bad, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Tony answered, his voice ringing out clearly.

"Ziva David, do you promise to love, honor and cherish Anthony DiNozzo, through good times and through bad, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Ziva replied, her voice strong with conviction.

"Very well. May I have the rings, please?" Isaac turned to Gibbs, who retrieved the pillow with the two wedding bands in it and handed them carefully to Isaac. The rings were simple gold bands with a spiral design and a single small diamond on Ziva's. Isaac gently took the pillow from Gibbs and turned to Tony.

"May this ring and all it symbolizes be blessed so that he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace and continue in love until their time in this world is done." Isaac handed Ziva's ring to Tony, who then slipped it onto Ziva's ring finger.

"With this ring I wed thee. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment." Tony said. Isaac then turned to Ziva.

"May this ring and all it symbolizes be blessed so that she who gives it and he who wears it may abide in peace and continue in love until their time in this world is done." Ziva carefully took Tony's ring and slipped it onto his waiting ring finger.

"With this ring I wed thee. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment." With that, the couple turned to face the audience.

"Friends and family of Anthony and Ziva, you have gathered here today to witness their union in holy matrimony. May their marriage be blessed, and may their lives together be filled with love, joy and peace. Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva David, by the powers vested in me, by the District of Columbia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Amid cheers and applause, Tony leaned in and kissed Ziva. After several long moments, and a few cleared throats, the newlyweds broke apart and Isaac spoke one last time.

"Ladies and gentleman, it is my honor to present to you Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo!"


	13. Together

" _Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo!"_

Standing in Ziva's apartment, Tony could only smile as those magical words rang through his head. It was 0100 in the morning, and he and Ziva had just returned from a wonderful reception, (a gift from Eli David, who was still trying to patch his relationship with Ziva) filled with beautiful speeches, great food, and magnificent dancing, all of which had extended long into the night. Now the newlyweds were in Ziva's apartment, which they were sharing for the time being, trying to finish packing before their 0700 flight to their honeymoon vacation. After a great deal of thought, the couple had chosen to go to Hawaii. They both had traveled around the world a great deal, but had yet to see some of the sights of their own country. So Hawaii had been the answer.

Because of the early flight, Tony and Ziva didn't try to get any sleep, but rather stayed up to make sure they packed everything that they needed. At 0530, Gibbs, Ducky, McGee and Abby, still a bit punch-drunk from the reception, showed up at the apartment and drove the couple and their luggage to the airport. When they arrived, the team unloaded the newlywed's luggage, wished them well, and saw them off to the security line. Tony and Ziva got through without incident, (Ziva had reluctantly left her weapons in her suitcase) and in no time at all, they were airborne. As soon as the safety procedures had been gone through, the exhausted couple promptly fell asleep, snuggling together.

…..

Several hours later, Tony was rudely awakened by a loud, obnoxious snore. For a moment his sleep-fogged brain struggled to comprehend where he was, but then he remembered. The loud, familiar snore sounded again and, very aware of the other passenger's glares, Tony turned to his sleeping wife.

"Zi." He whispered. No response. "Zi!" he said again, a little louder. Nothing. "Ziva!" he growled, shaking her shoulder. At that, Ziva's eyes snapped open, and at the same time her hand flew up and grabbed Tony's wrist. Biting back a yelp, Tony spoke through gritted teeth. "Ziva… it's… just… me… please… let… GO!" The last word was several octaves higher. Ziva sheepishly released his wrist and yawned.

"I am sorry. Did you need something, Ahava?"

"You were snoring, Zi. And I think we're almost there." Tony rubbed his sore wrist. Ziva kissed it, and then busied herself by pulling their carry-ons together as the pilot came over the intercom and announced their approach to Honolulu.

Two hours later, Tony and Ziva where checked into their luxury hotel, and were settling into their beautiful suite. By then it was dusk, and rather than having to get dressed up to go out and eat, the couple chose to have a quiet, private dinner in their room. Ziva was cooking in their full-sized kitchen as Tony set the table and poured champagne. The couple sat down to eat.

"Zi," Tony said, forgetting that his mouth was full of delicious Israeli salad. He swallowed, and then continued. "How would you like to go for a swim tonight? Just you, me and the ocean?" Ziva's eyes sparkled and she smirked.

"Perhaps it will not be  _just_ a swim, yes?" She reached over and lightly traced a finger down Tony's arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. Tony suddenly felt as if his pants had shrunk two sizes. He gulped.

"Oh Sweetcheeks, you have  _no_ idea." he breathed.

…..

Nighttime. The full moon shone brightly, lighting the way for two figures walking arm-in-arm down the deserted beach. A trail of footprints snaked behind them in the pale sand. Tony found a semi-secluded area near some rocks that was hidden from sight, but still offered a full view of the calm, reflective ocean. He spread out a blanket on the sand and pulled off his shirt, revealing his muscular chest. Ziva did the same with her cover-up, showing a two-piece bikini underneath, something she never would have worn during the day because it exposed her back. Her scars showed stark against her skin in the moonlight.

"Ready for a swim, Zee-vah?" Tony asked. Ziva turned to face him, and Tony noticed an animal gleam in her eyes, a half-second before she rushed forward and enveloped his mouth in hers. The two mouths worked hungrily at one another for several minutes, and then they pulled apart. As they did, Tony could hear Ziva's breathing turn ragged, to match his own.

"I guess that's a no?" he asked, holding her face.

"Tony… please… I've waited too long for this…" Ziva's accent had grown thick with her desire, and her eyes were black. She swiftly engulfed him in another passionate kiss, and that was all Tony needed. His hands found the ties of her suit as her hands found the hem of his, and the two were undressed in seconds, and had sunk onto the blanket. Suddenly Tony pulled back. Ziva grabbed at him, but he held her hands with his own and she cursed in Hebrew.

"Take it easy Zi! I just want to take a good look at you! I want to see all of you, beautiful one." Ziva settled back as Tony released her hands and followed Tony's adoring gaze with a small smile. However, it wasn't long before her patience wore out.

"Tony! Please…" she hissed as she dug her nails into his side. "I need you… need you in me…" Tony couldn't contain himself any longer. He carefully positioned himself above her, and then slowly entered Ziva's center. For a long time the still night was punctured by the sounds of their lovemaking, and then there was one final scream and moan of pleasure. The newlyweds collapsed in each other's arms, breathing heavily. Ziva placed her mouth next to Tony's ear.

"Are you ready for that swim now, Ahava?" she whispered. Tony smiled a predator's smile, and before Ziva knew it, he had swept her up in his arms, bridal style, and carried her into the surf, ignoring her yelp of protest. They swam around for a bit, and then met up in each other's arms, gazing lovingly into the other's eyes. Tony grinned yet again, shifted his arms so that he was holding Ziva's hips, and watched her eyes widen as he entered her again. Several minutes later, the tired couple staggered back up onto the beach, dressed, gathered their belongings, and wearily walked back to their room. They undressed, not bothering to dress into pajamas, and then stumbled into the bed. Tony wrapped his strong arms around Ziva.

"Goodnight my beautiful one." he whispered, half-asleep already.

"Goodnight my ahava." Ziva murmured as she cuddled closer to him.

…..

Tony was the first to wake the next morning, rays of sunlight warming his bare back. He carefully unwrapped his arms from around Ziva, and then propped himself up, taking in the beauty of her slumbering form. He drank in the sight of her dark curls cascading on the pillow, her peaceful face and her graceful body rising and falling with each gentle breath. He grinned. How had he managed to marry such a wonderful woman? Leaning over, he kissed Ziva on the brow. Her chocolate eyes opened, and she yawned.

"Morning Zi." Tony murmured, running a hand through her hair. Ziva muttered something incomprehensible, and then wrapped her hand in Tony's hair and her mouth around his. Tony moaned and rolled over, and the two became one yet again. When they had finished, Tony began to idly trace his finger around Ziva's gunshot wound. Suddenly he snorted and shook his head.

"What is it, Tony?" Ziva asked.

"I just can't believe that something so destructive actually brought us closer together." Tony stopped tracing Ziva's scar and instead began to rub her side. Ziva covered the wound.

"Every storm has a silver lining, yes?" she asked.

"Every  _cloud_ has a silver lining, but you're right." Tony wove his fingers in Ziva's. "I love you Ziva."

"I love you too, Tony."

…..

Six days later, an exhausted but happy couple touched down in D.C. As they left the baggage claim and headed towards the waiting Gibbs, Ducky, McGee and Abby, the sounds of a light-hearted argument could be heard.

"I'm just saying, Zi, I don't think you need four guns and six knives for a  _vacation_!"

"You can never be too careful Tony! You should know tha…" Ziva was cut off by Abby's hug and squeal of delight.

"OhmyGod! I missed you guys so much! How was it?"

"It was wonderful, Abby." Ziva said as Abby released her and attacked Tony.

"You have to tell me  _everything_! Was the weather good? What'd you guys do? Did you see Colonel Mann? You didn't stay in your room the whole time, did you? Did you get tons of pictures?" As Abby rambled on, Gibbs, Ducky and McGee helped the couple with their baggage and the joyful team left the airport.

…..

From behind a pillar, a pair of ice-cold black eyes followed Tony and Ziva as they left the building. A gloved hand closed around the butt of a gun concealed in a coat, and a pair of lips pulled back into to reveal white teeth bared in a feral grin.

"Enjoy your honeymoon while you still can, Ziva  _David_ , because it won't be long before I come for you, and this time I'll make sure you're dead." the man hissed under his breath.

As the happy couple passed through the doors leading outside, Melek Biram tuned and melted into the crowd.


	14. Revenge

A month and a half after the honeymoon, the team was heading to yet another crime scene. Ziva was driving the NCIS truck while Tony and McGee held on for dear life. As she glanced at the pair's white knuckles, Ziva wondered why they were so worried. She had only broken two traffic laws and was only going 20 miles an hour over the limit. She'd done worse. Shrugging, Ziva screeched up to the crime scene, her arrival announced by several blaring car horns. As soon as the truck came to a stop, McGee and Tony rushed out. Ziva rolled her eyes, grabbed her bag and stepped out, greeting Gibbs as he emerged from the Charger. Gibbs took a swig from his coffee, and then walked up to the young LEO standing at the tape barrier and flipped open his ID, Tony, Ziva and McGee doing the same.

"What have we got?" Gibbs growled. The officer, clearly a first-timer, straightened up nervously.

"P-P-PFC Jeremy Halin, sir." the officer stammered. "Found h-h-him dead this morn- I-I-I mean they found him dead this morning…" the LEO weakly pointed to two garbage collectors. Gibbs gave an exasperated sigh and turned to his team.

"McGee, statements. DiNozzo, talk to this idiot. David, photos." After the wedding, Ziva had chosen to hyphenate her middle name, but of her co-workers still called her David. Ziva turned and followed Gibbs to the body. As soon as the two agents set eyes on the dead Marine, they both drew their weapons. The PFC's throat had been slit ear-to-ear: the same way that PFC Richard Puente's had been on the day Ziva had been shot. PFC Jeremy Halin was also slumped against a Dumpster and there was no evidence of a murder weapon.

"DiNozzo, get over here NOW!" Gibbs roared as he scanned the rooftops. Tony came rushing into the alley, gun drawn. When he saw the corpse, he immediately shielded Ziva, who proceeded to push him aside.

"DiNozzo, take Ziva back to base. Biram's here." Gibbs growled. Tony nodded and reached for Ziva's arm, but she pulled it away, rounding on Gibbs.

"NO Gibbs! I will not run and hide from this man! He only got me the last time because I didn't know he was there!"

"You **will** go back to base Ziva, one way or the other. Now I can knock you out, handcuff you, and have Tony drive you back, or you can go back with DiNozzo on your own. Your choice." Ziva cursed, but she reluctantly holstered her gun and allowed Tony to escort her to the Charger. She angrily climbed in, started the car, and sped off before Tony could get in. She'd be damned if she allowed herself to be driven back like a drunken teenager.

As Ziva was crossing a two-way bridge, the car in front of her- a black Escalade with tinted windows- suddenly decelerated. Screaming a handful of Hebrew curses, Ziva checked to make sure there were no oncoming cars and then moved into the left lane, gunning the Charger. Suddenly, with no warning at all, the Escalade accelerated and slammed into the Charger, pushing it towards the guardrail. Ziva's body froze up, and the Charger went smashing through the guardrail and hurled down the ravine below. Ziva howled in pain as she was flung around like a rag doll, and then the car hit the bottom. A pillow of white enveloped her, and then there was nothing.

Ziva awoke to the pungent scent of smelling salts. As soon as she awoke, she was immediately aware of an excruciating pain throughout her entire body. Remembering the crash, she opened her eyes and was immediately blinded by the sun. Ziva shut them again, and tried to move. Her legs didn't respond. She dropped her head out of the sunlight and slowly re-opened her eyes and was met with a horrifying sight. Her legs were trapped in a mess of glass and mangled metal, and she could see a great deal of blood oozing slowly out of the wreck. An examination of the rest of her body showed a deep cut on her chest and a gash on her head. Just then a cold, cruel voice broke through the haze of pain, sending a shiver down her spine.

"You are a very difficult woman to kill, Ziva DiNozzo." A shape approached Ziva's door and wrenched it open.

Melek Biram.

Now that Ziva could see his face, she gasped. Michael had once shown her a picture of his best friend from his squad. The man in the picture looked very different from the man standing in front of her now, but there was no doubt that they were one and the same. In the photograph, Melek had medium-length tousled hair and was clean shaven. The man in front of her had grown a small, neat beard, but he had also shaved his head, which only served to accentuate the large scar that ran from his right ear to his collarbone. The only similarity between the two was the eyes. Cold, cruel, devoid of any kindness, the black eyes raked up and down Ziva's broken body as Melek's teeth bared into the same feral grin he had worn the day he shot her. Ziva frantically scrabbled for her gun, but stopped when Melek produced from behind his back and pointed it at her head.

"Tut-tut Ziva. Did you honestly think that I would let you keep your weapon? Oh, and don't bother trying to get your backup gun. If I could not reach it, you certainly won't be able to." He tapped the gun against her legs and Ziva hissed.

"Why Melek? Why do you want to kill me?" Ziva asked. A plan was forming in her head, but she needed to keep Melek distracted. Melek absently scratched his chin with the barrel of her gun.

"Because of what happened to Michael." he responded.

"What!" Ziva yelped incredulously. "Michael betrayed Mossad! Tony was right to kill him!" Melek slapped Ziva, causing her lip to start to bleed. She held back a yelp and glared at him instead.

"Michael was a good man! You should have killed agent DiNozzo for shooting Michael! But no, you became an American citizen and married the bastard instead! You turned your back on your country, your people and your own family! Mossad has had to deal with enough traitors. I am going to be doing them a favor by removing another one." Melek's eyes glimmered with madness.

"My father will have your head if you kill me." Ziva growled.

"No he won't." Melek retorted. "I will spin a tail that will end up having agent DiNozzo in the middle. Your father is still wary of that man- he will believe it in time and call war on NCIS." Ziva realized that Melek truly believed this, and rather than pursing the subject further, she changed it.

"Why did you kill those two Marines, Melek? Why didn't you just come to NCIS or my apartment? Two innocent men, warriors both, who fought for their countries, should not have died!" As Ziva spoke, she slowly slid her right hand, the one that was hidden from Melek's view, down to her waist, praying that Melek wouldn't notice the movement, and had overlooked one thing. Melek snorted at her question.

"Warriors? Don't make me laugh." He spat on the ground, and Ziva used the movement to search her waistline. Melek continued. "Those fools couldn't even defend themselves. I had no problem slitting their throats. The reason why I killed them was because it would have drawn you out of _your_ territory and put you somewhere where you didn't know the area. NCIS is too well guarded with its security systems and your damned team, and I would never have gotten out of your apartment alive- it is your home and therefore you would have the advantage. So I killed those two to get you out in the streets. The first time didn't work but now…" Melek froze as he heard the yelp of emergency sirens filling the air and drawing near.

Ziva immediately took advantage of this distraction. Her hand, which had found the knife that Melek had forgotten to retrieve from her waist, pulled the weapon out of its sheath. With her adrenaline pumping, Ziva took aim and hurled the knife with everything she had, and then ducked. When the knife slammed into his chest, Melek reflexively pulled the trigger, but his shot was off, and only hit Ziva in the shoulder. Melek dropped the gun, grasped at the hilt of the knife, pulled it out, and then toppled over, blood pouring out of the wound and his mouth.

The bullet wound, combined with her injuries from the crash, proved to be too much for Ziva. As she fought against the creeping darkness, Ziva faintly heard the sirens stop at the crash scene and a familiar voice frantically calling out her name. Then there was a painful clenching in her lower belly, and the Israeli's world went dark.


	15. A Loss, Part 1

Dr. Reylak had just finished her lunch when one of the ER nurses of Bethesda Naval Hospital came rushing in. In a clipped voice she told the doctor that a critically injured NCIS agent was being rushed to the hospital and that Dr. Reylak was needed in surgery right away. At this, Dr. Reylak groaned inwardly. It wasn't even 1200, and she had already done a surgery on a former Marine caught in a house fire, and had lost him. Now this.

Dr. Reylak crumpled up her lunch bag, tossed it into a nearby garbage bin, and started off towards the surgery, pulling on a mask as she went. As she briskly strode to the room which was already filling with nurses and technicians, the nurse who had called her began to read the incoming patient's chart.

"The incoming patient is a 28-year-old female NCIS agent by the name of Ziva David-DiNozzo." At the sound of that name, Dr. Reylak froze for a moment.  _It couldn't be_  she thought. But right now the only thing that mattered was that this Ziva was her patient. The nurse continued.

"This morning she was leaving a crime scene when the suspect ran her off the road on a bridge and into a ravine. She sustained multiple injuries from the crash. Both of her legs are badly broken, and the tibia of the left leg tore through the skin. She has suffered severe blood loss in both legs, and the paramedics are worried that she might lose one or both. She also has multiple lacerations to her lower abdomen and chest, and head trauma. There is also a gunshot wound on her right shoulder- apparently the suspect fired a wide shot when she- whoa." The nurse's eyes widened as she read the chart, and Dr. Reylak had to clear her throat. "Oh, I'm sorry Doctor. Apparently Mrs. David-DiNozzo killed her attacker with a knife. Anyway, the paramedics reported that the agent is semi-conscious- she's moaning, but won't respond verbally to anything. She also started to have uncontrollable convulsions while riding to the hospital." Dr. Reylak was about to ask about the convulsions, but before she could say a word, the sound of frantic voices and the rush of gurney wheels filled the air. The crash doors flew open, and Dr. Reylak got a good look at her patient.

The doctor winced at the sight of Ziva's extensive injuries. She hadn't seen a patient this badly battered in a while. When the paramedics and nurses had transferred the injured agent onto the operating table, hooked her up to an IV and blood transfusion tubes and removed her clothing, the sight only got worse. Lacerations, blood and a bone marred what should have been a perfect body. Ziva was moaning in pain and Dr. Reylak was preparing to inject a knock out drug. Before she could, however, Ziva's body was racked in a powerful convulsion, one that Dr. Reylak knew all too well.

"Shit! That was a contraction! We need to stop it! Someone get me…" but it was too late. Ziva's body shuddered once more, and then blood poured from between her legs, and the nurse that had been crouching there shook her head sadly. Ziva had miscarried.

For a moment, the surgery room went completely quiet, save for the beeping of the heart monitor. Then Dr. Reylak spoke in a cracked voice as she injected an anesthetic into the IV.

"We have to save the mother. Let's go." A defeated-looking team gathered around the agent's relaxing body and started the fight to save her life.

…..

Several hours later an exhausted team of nurses, technicians and a doctor emerged from the surgery. Ziva had been saved, and was relatively stable. But the miscarriage was heavy on everyone's mind, and all of their steps were slow and heavy. A miscarriage in and by itself was bad enough. One on the operating room table was even worse. Although none of them could have done anything, they all in their own way felt responsible. As the team split off and went their own ways, Dr. Reylak leaned wearily against a nearby wall and wearily closed her eyes. Unbidden, a memory flashed past.

_She was walking towards an elevator, past rows of cubicles. Back then she was not married, she was known only as Jeanne Benoit. As she crossed the floor, her eyes fell on the man that she had once loved. Green met blue, and for a minute the two pairs of eyes looked longingly at one another. Jeanne was the first to break contact. As she did, she saw a short woman with a powerful look in her brown eyes standing next to the man. Ziva David, who was now the wife of the man she had loved._

The memory faded abruptly, and Dr. Jeanne Reylak, once Dr. Jeanne Benoit, wiped moist eyes. The anger from her breakup with Tony had faded, and she was happy that he had married. However, as she walked towards the ER lobby where she knew Tony and the rest of Ziva's team was waiting, she wondered how she was going to tell the man she had accused of murder that his wife had miscarried.


	16. A Loss, Part 2

**_ Several hours before… _ **

_ Tony yelled in frustration as Ziva sped off in the Charger by herself. _ I shouldn't have let her drive! _He thought to himself. But there wasn't anything he could do now. Anyway, she was safer in the car than she was at the crime scene. Hell, other cars moved for_ her _whenever she drove. Shaking his head, Tony took the photos that Ziva hadn't been able to take and then stepped back as Ducky and Jimmy loaded the PFC's body, now in a body bag, into the second truck. The team was in the middle of packing up when the yelp of an ambulance siren filled the air, and the boxy vehicle sped past them, closely followed by a fire truck. Something twisted in Tony's gut, and he glanced at Gibbs and McGee, both of whom had looks of concern on their faces. The ambulance was heading in the same direction that Ziva had gone minutes before. Without a word, Gibbs, Tony and McGee hurried into the first truck and sped off after the ambulance, adding their siren to the din and leaving a very bewildered Ducky and Jimmy behind._

_ The ambulance soon reached a bridge and screeched to a halt, the NCIS truck doing the same. As Tony looked out, his heart sunk to his knees. There were police cars everywhere, and he could see that the bridge's guardrail had been smashed though, and there were skid marks everywhere. Tony leapt out of the truck, ignoring Gibb's shout, and looked over the damaged guardrail. The scene below only confirmed his worst fears. At the bottom of the ravine, the Charger lay smashed, and he could see a body lying beside it. Without a second thought, Tony charged down the ravine's slope and made it to the bottom in record time, beating the paramedics and firemen to the wreck. When he reached the body, Tony was surprised and very relieved to see the body was not Ziva's, but rather a man that he recognized as Melek Biram from Mossad's database, with Ziva's knife clutched in a death grip. However, Tony's relief quickly faded when he looked into the busted Charger. _

_ Ziva lay slumped over the steering column, blood pouring from multiple wounds on her body. To make matters worse, Tony could see that her legs were trapped in the wreckage of the Charger. Just then, the paramedics arrived, followed closely by several firemen carrying the Jaws of Life. The firemen wasted no time and began to immediately cut through the remains of the Charger to free Ziva. The paramedics, in the meantime, questioned Tony when he identified himself as Ziva's husband. Just as they were finishing, there was a final snap as the Jaws of Life cut through the last of the metal trapping Ziva. They quickly but carefully pulled her out and laid her on the waiting stretcher. When Tony saw just how badly Ziva was injured, he demanded that he be allowed to ride in the ambulance with her, but Gibbs and McGee, who by this time had made it to the bottom of the ravine, held him back. Tony watched helplessly as the paramedics took his Ziva away, and then numbly followed his teammates back to the truck. Gibbs slammed down on the accelerator and the team made it to Bethesda Naval Hospital in record time. _

**_ Present time _ **

Tony, full of restless energy, paced up and down the ER's lobby. Every so often he would pause, glance at the clock, and then resume his pacing. Gibbs, who knew the pain that Tony was going through, didn't reprimand the younger agent, but instead remained sitting and tried to read his issue of _Sniper Monthly_ , but found it hard to concentrate. He continuously struggled with the urge to go up to the nurse's station for the third time and demand Ziva's status, but he knew what the answer would be. They couldn't tell him anything other than that she was in surgery, and still alive for now. The rest of the team had made it to the ER as well, minus Jimmy, who had stayed at the morgue. Abby was curled up in McGee's warm embrace, her eyes red from crying. McGee was trying to look stoic, but from time to time his gaze flicked up to the clock before going back to Abby. Ducky sat on Gibb's other side, attempting, like his friend, to read a medical magazine. The other people waiting in the lounge gave the team a wide birth- their grim faces, badges and guns were more than enough to scare everyone away.

The team sat in complete silence, growing tenser with each passing minute. Finally, just as Tony thought that he was going explode with tension, the ER doors opened and the last person that Tony wanted to see came through them.

Jeanne Benoit.

Upon seeing the woman that had accused him of murder, Tony's hand flew to his gun. Gibbs and McGee also reached for their weapons. Jeanne's hands went up in a defensive motion, and that was when Tony noticed two things. One, there was a wedding ring on her right finger, and two, there was a great deal of grief in her eyes. This was not the face of an angry, rejected lover bent on revenge. This was the face of the woman that he had once fallen in love with- the face of a doctor who truly cared for her patients. Seeing that look of grief in Jeanne's eyes, Tony immediately knew that something was wrong.

"What happened?" he rasped. Jeanne let out a breath, and then began to speak in a pained voice. Behind Tony, the rest of the team sat in anxious silence.

"Ziva is alive, and she is stable. Both of her legs are badly broken, so she will be confined to a wheelchair for several weeks. She also lost a lot of blood. And…" here, Jeanne's voice faltered.

"What. Happened." Tony growled.

"I'm so sorry, Ton- Agent DiNozzo. Ziva had a miscarriage. She will be able to conceive again, but... there was nothing we could do to stop it." Jeanne hung her head sadly. Behind him, Tony heard Abby gasp and start to cry. McGee wrapped his arms around her once again and murmured soft words to her.

"She was pregnant?" Tony whispered. "Oh God, I didn't know… Ziva…" Tony sank into a chair, burying his head in his hands. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, and then Gibb's voice growled out.

"Will you be Ziva's primary doctor while she is here, Miss Benoit? Because if you are, I'd suggest asking another doctor to take over for you." Gibb's voice left no room for arguments. Jeanne didn't bother to correct him on her name.

"No. I knew that it would be best if I had someone else take over, so Dr. Chris Jullman will be Ziva's primary doctor. I believe you already know her." Jeanne replied.

Gibbs nodded. "Is Ziva awake yet?"

"Not yet, but she should be soon. If you would like to see her, she is in room 19A, I can take you there." Glancing at the waiting group, she added, "You all can visit her for 15 minutes, but after that, I'm afraid I can only allow one person to stay longer." The team nodded, and then got up as a group and followed Jeanne to Ziva's room.

Once they got there, the five quietly filed in. Ziva was laying in the hospital bed, hooked up to several tubes and wires, with both legs in raised casts. Her face was pale and drawn, and she had an oxygen line running up into her nose. As he walked up to her, Tony couldn't help but to glance at Ziva's flat stomach. _Our baby should have been growing in there. That son of a bitch is lucky Ziva already killed him._ Tony took a seat next to Ziva head and began to gently run his fingers through her hair. Jeanne, who was leaving, paused at the doorway.

"Tony." she said softly. He looked up, his face stricken with grief. "I am truly sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." He replied hoarsely. Jeanne then took on a formal tone.

"Dr. Jullman should be here in a half-hour. If you need anything, use Ziva's call button to call the nurses." With that, Jeanne turned and left.

Tony gently grasped his wife's hand and waited for her to wake.

An hour later, Tony felt his wife begin to stir. By now, only he and Gibbs were left in Ziva's room. After 15 minutes of visit time, McGee, Abby and Ducky had left. Gibbs had remained, telling the fussy nurse in no uncertain terms that he was **not** leaving. She had relented, especially after Gibbs had fixed her with his famous stare and had dropped his hand to his gun. In many ways, Tony was glad that Gibbs had stayed. He wasn't sure he would be able to tell Ziva the horrible news on his own. Suddenly Ziva's brown eyes flickered open and flicked between Tony and Gibbs, finally resting on Tony's face.

"Tony? Gibbs?" she whispered, wincing slightly. "Where am I? What happened? I remember killing Melek…" Ziva stopped when she saw the grief written all over Tony's face.

"Tony?" He averted his eyes and then spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Zi, you passed out after you killed Melek. You were cut out of the car wreck and taken to Bethesda, and that's where you are right now. Both of your legs are broken, you'll be confined to a wheelchair for a while, and you have multiple injuries to your abdomen, chest and head, as well as a gunshot wound in your shoulder…" Tony's voice trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to say the next part. He looked at Gibbs, silently pleading for help as tears formed in his eyes. Gibbs gently picked up Ziva's other hand, and she looked at him, a frightened look in her eyes.

"Zivers, you were pregnant. You… you miscarried." he said softly.

For a moment Ziva was silent, and then she threw her head back and howled in agony, tears streaming down her face. Her heart monitor went crazy and Dr. Jullman, along with a team of nurses, rushed in. However, when the doctor saw Ziva and Tony's faces, she walked up to the monitor, turned off the alarm, and then ushered the nurses out of the room.

"Leave her be." Tony heard her say softly. "She needs to let this out." Dr. Jullman shooed the last of the nurses out and then shut the door with a look of pity on her face. Ziva, still keening, buried her bandaged-wrapped head in Tony's chest. A mix of Hebrew and English floated from the pair as they shared their grief. Gibbs turned his head skyward.

"Take care of their child, Kate." he whispered. Then he lowered his head, and the three agents mourned the loss of the unborn child whose life was cut far too short.


	17. Our Guardian

" _Zivers, you miscarried." Gibbs said softly._

Life continued on around Ziva, but she was no longer a part of it. She had lost all of her spark, and the days blurred together into a meaningless and dull mess. Ziva ate very little, and was only able to sleep with the aid of sleeping medication. Because of this, she grew pale and gaunt, and was healing very slowly.

Four months before, when Melek Biram had shot her in the chest, Ziva had returned to NCIS a day after her release from the hospital. Now she had no desire to do so. She sat around the house in her wheelchair instead, crying occasionally, and brooding the rest of the time. Tony desperately tried everything to bring her back- flowers, movies, date nights, teasing- nothing ever worked. While Ziva had suffered many losses before, the loss of her unborn child had been the final straw to break her strong heart. Ziva was shutting down, and there was nothing anyone could do.

It was a beautiful spring day. Tony had gone to work on his own, as he had been doing for the past few days, and Ziva was sitting next to an open window in her apartment. Although the sun was shining brightly in a beautiful robin's-egg blue sky, and a pleasant flower-scented breeze blew on her face, Ziva was unmoved. Instead of seeing the beauty of the day, she instead thought of her lost child, a lone tear rolling down her cheek. As Ziva sat in grim silence, she was jarred out of her thoughts by the sound of the deadbolt on her door turning. She spun her wheelchair around to face the door, and for the first time in several days she felt something other than the dull ache of sadness- surprise. Tony was not due home for another several hours. Had Ziva been more of her older self she would have gone for one of her many hidden weapons, but she was too apathetic to do so now. She just sat and waited to see who it was.

The door opened and Tony rushed in, holding a squeaking bundle in his arms and followed closely by Tim, whose arms were filled with dog food, two bowls, a towel and toys. Before the very surprised Ziva could say a word, Tim quickly dropped his load on the kitchen floor, spread out the towel, set the two bowls on the towel, and then put the dog food and toys next to the bowls. He then stood to one side to allow Tony to set down his bundle, which sure enough, was a puppy, and a sad, sorry looking one at that. The puppy was so badly emancipated that Ziva could count every rib in its body, and its backbone jutted out of its back grossly. These features were emphasized by the fact that most of its coat had been shaved off, save for its head, paws and tail. Despite this, the puppy had beautiful, soft brown eyes and its tail never stopped wagging. Ziva looked up at her husband and teammate, extremely confused.

"Tony, Tim, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry Zi." Tony replied. "We just found this little guy tied up in a shed without food or water at our crime scene. You think he looks bad now, you should have seen him then. His coat was overgrown and too matted to comb out, so it had to be shaved off, and it took several baths to get the dirt, fleas and ticks off of him. But he's all clean and medicated now, the only problem is there's no one at NCIS who can take care of him at the moment, and since your landlord allows pets, I figured this could just be a temporary solution. Can you just feed, water and maybe play with him now Ziva? I promise we'll find something more permanent when I get back."

"I-I guess so Tony…"

"Thank you Love. I'll see you tonight." Before Ziva could protest, Tony gave her a peck on the cheek and then left with Tim.

…..

Once they were outside Ziva's apartment and her door was closed, Tim faced Tony.

"Do you think this will work, Tony?" The younger agent whispered.

"I really hope it does Probie. I've got nothing else." Tony replied just as softly. They turned and left.

…..

Inside her apartment, Ziva sat where Tony had left her, still stunned. Why on Earth would Tony bring a dog here, and not to a shelter? Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a soft whine. Ziva glanced down to see the ragged puppy balancing his front paws on her casted feet, mouth open in a doggy grin and tail whipping back and forth. Ziva grunted, then rolled over to the bag of dog food and measured out a small portion for the puppy. At the sound of the kibble hitting the bowl, the puppy gave a happy bark and scrambled over to the food bowl, diving right in. Ziva meanwhile filled his water dish, and when the puppy had licked the bowl clean he took several gulps, spreading water everywhere. When he raised his head and looked at Ziva, the sight of his water-logged face was so comical that she couldn't help but to giggle. The giggle turned into a chuckle, and before she knew it, Ziva was laughing so hard tears of happiness ran down her face. The puppy proceeded to give a series of high-pitched yips that sounded like laughing, and this sent Ziva into further peals of laughter.

When Ziva was finally able to calm down, she carefully picked up the puppy and put him in her lap. Rather than wiggle and squirm, like she expected him to, the puppy merely wagged his tail and looked up at her with his soft brown eyes. As Ziva looked into those calm eyes, she felt her old spark, which for so long had been extinguished, flare up and grow into a burning blaze. She stroked the puppy's head, and he gave a huge yawn, curled up, and fell asleep. For the first time in several days, Ziva followed suit.

…..

Several hours later, Ziva awoke to the wonderful smell of Tony's cooking, as well as the feeling of a cold, wet tongue on her face. Her eyes snapped open, and the first sight she saw was the puppy, paws on her shoulder, licking every inch of her face that he could reach. She laughed and pulled him off.

"Engel! Stop that!" She reprimanded. Tony turned away from the stove where he was preparing supper.

"Engel?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It means 'Guardian' in German." Ziva replied. In a softer voice she said, "Tony, I'm so sorry ..." Before she could finish, he reached out and gently lifted her face and then gave her a deep kiss. Pulling away, he stroked the puppy's head before speaking.

"Rule #6, Zi. And anyways, I didn't, and never will, know what you were going through." He said softly. "The grief I had was probably nothing compared to the grief you were feeling. Don't apologize. You're back, and that's all that matters." Looking down at the puppy, who was quietly panting and watching the two of them, he grinned. "So… about that permanent home for this guy…"

"Look no further, Tony. He's staying with us." Ziva also looked down at the puppy. "Engel. Our little guardian angel."


	18. No Rest for the Wicked

Two days after the arrival of Engel, Tony was riding in the familiar atmosphere of the NCIS main elevator, but for the first time in over a week he was not riding alone. Ziva sat next to him in her wheelchair, impatiently tapping her fingers against her wheels as the lift slowly continued its ascent. Engel sat patiently in Ziva's lap. Abby, with her experience with Jethro and Mortimer, had happily agreed to puppy-sit the German Shepherd while Tony and Ziva were working. Right now, Tony couldn't stop smiling. Yes, Ziva was confined to deskwork until she healed and yes it would be months until she fully recovered, but despite all of this, Ziva was back to her old self- impatient, full of energy, bantering and still very, very dangerous, even if she was confined to a wheelchair.

The elevator dinged as the doors slid open and Tony strode out, closely followed by Ziva. The couple had barely gone a foot when a delighted scream filled the air.

"Ziiiiiiiiiivvaaaaaaaa!" Ziva quickly set Engel on the ground as Tony grabbed her wheelchair and braced himself as the whirling, pig-tailed devilish that was Abby came flying across the bullpen and slammed into Ziva, producing an "Ooof!" from the Israeli. Tony winced, praying that none of Ziva's stitches had been torn. Abby eventually let go of Ziva and scooped up Engel. The German shepherd proceeded to happily lick every inch of the Goth's face. Abby cooed over Engel, and waltzed back to her lab. Tony turned to Ziva with a raised eyebrow.

"We may not get him back, you know." Ziva chuckled. Just then McGee walked up and shook Ziva's hand.

"Welcome back Ziva, it's good to have you here again." he said warmly.

"Thank you Tim. It is very good to _be_ back." Ziva responded. Tony, scanning the bullpen, noticed something.

"Hey Probie, you seen Gibbs anywhere?" he asked.

"The last time I saw him, he was going into MTAC. Haven't seen him since." McGee replied. Just as Tim finished, Gibbs appeared on the balcony in front of MTAC. He spotted Tony and Ziva.

"Ziva, DiNozzo, get up here!" he yelled. Tony gave Ziva an enquiring glance, but she just shrugged and punched the button for the elevator. When the two got to the top, they walked/rolled over to Gibbs.

"What's going on Boss? And why do you need Ziva? I thought she was confined to deskwork." Tony asked, earning a grunt from Ziva. Gibbs just hooked his thumb towards MTAC.

"You'll see once we get in there." he said. His tone was cold, and Tony felt the same twisting in his gut that he had felt the day Ziva had crashed. Entering MTAC, Tony saw that Director Vance was already standing there, an angry look on his face. When Tony looked up at the screen, he immediately saw why.

Eli David.

As Tony and Ziva followed Gibbs to the front of the room, and Ziva moved into better lighting, Tony thought he saw the Mossad director start when he saw his daughter. His eyes, enlarged by the screen, flitted from Ziva's bandaged head, to her casted legs and then to her wheelchair, and then his eyes landed on Tony. The NCIS agent could have sworn he saw an accusatory look cross the director's face, but a moment later it was gone, replaced by Eli's normal emotionless look. Nevertheless, Tony's hands instinctively balled into fists as he took a seat next to Ziva. Eli spoke.

"Shalom Ziva. Shalom Agent DiNozzo." The director inclined his head slightly towards where Tony and Ziva sat. "Congratulations once again on your marriage." Eli's haughty, aloof tone caused the cords in Tony's neck to tighten. Ziva, who must have sensed Tony's growing anger, gently grasped her husband's hand and rubbed the back of it with her thumb. Tony relaxed somewhat as Ziva spoke.

"Shalom Eli. Thank you for your congratulations." Although Ziva's words were polite, there was a definite coolness in her tone and her eyes had gone hard. She too had seen the accusatory look in Eli's eyes. "Why did you wish to see Tony and myself?" she continued.

Eli's eyes grew momentarily dark at his daughter's tone, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he leaned back slightly in his chair and cleared his throat.

"Actually, I really only wished to see you Ziva, but Agent Gibbs insisted that Agent DiNozzo listen as well." Gibbs and Tony both shot a sharp look at the director, but he ignored them and continued. "I contacted NCIS today because it is imperative that you come to Tel Aviv at once, Ziva."

"WHAT!" Tony yelped, rising halfway out of his chair. Ziva put a restraining hand on his shoulder, and he reluctantly sat, but his hands gripped the armrests of his chair so hard his knuckles turned white. Eli turned to look at Tony, and this time there was no mistaking the hateful look in the older man's eyes.

"I believe that I spoke quite clearly Agent DiNozzo. I need Ziva to return to Tel Aviv as a Mossad agent was killed, and she was the one who killed him. We need to record her side of the story and get a full report as well." Eli snapped.

Tony could no longer hold his anger in. Eli had pushed him over the edge. That bastard thought that he could just force Ziva back to Israel any time he wanted to!

"May I remind you _Director David_ that Melek went rouge, and **you** yourself admitted it? He _attacked_ Ziva without provocation, and he nearly killed her _twice_! Ziva did us and Mossad a _favor_ by killing that bastard, and you have the audacity to **blame** her for his death! Well I have a suggestion for you. Take that bastard's body back and ** _LEAVE MY WIFE ALONE!_** " Tony snarled. Eli, clearly shocked, and very angry, opened his mouth to retaliate, but before he could, Ziva forcefully slammed her fist down on the armrest of her wheelchair.

"ENOUGH! _Sheket b'vakesha_!" she roared. The entire room fell silent as four pairs of surprised eyes fell on the angry Israeli. Ziva rolled her wheelchair to the center of the room so that everyone could clearly see her, and then turned to face Director Vance, eyes flaming.

"With your permission, Director, seeing as this concerns **me** , _I_ would like to speak." Vance nodded his permission, and Ziva continued, turning to face her father. "Eli, why exactly do you want me in Tel Aviv? We both know that your 'getting a full report' excuse is just that- an excuse. As Tony so eloquently pointed out, Melek clearly went rouge, and therefore gave up his status as a Mossad agent. As a result, my killing him should not warrant anything more than a written report, which would be sent to Mossad. I see no reason for me to travel to Tel Aviv." Ziva's anger seemed to have subsided somewhat, but her eyes continued to bore into the screen.

Eli sighed, and his stoic façade dropped as he rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "I am very sorry Ziva. There are many in Mossad who are not willing to believe that Melek went rouge. They have heard your story, but they want to see the proof. A man cannot remain director of anything for long if he does not have the full support of his people. Your visit will serve to close this case once and for all. I know I have no real power to call you back, but your presence is needed." For a long time Ziva sat quietly, staring at the floor, and then she finally spoke, but not to Eli.

"Director Vance, as long as I am returned home, do you have any objections to this visit?"

The NCIS director shook his head. "Mossad and NCIS have been alienated for far too long. If you are willing, Agent David, then I will give you my permission." Tony opened his mouth to argue, but Ziva stopped him with a raised hand. She looked back up at Eli.

"I will go," she said, "but only if my conditions are met."

Eli intertwined his fingers and looked over them. "What are these conditions Ziva?"

"First, as long as they agree to, my team comes with me." Ziva glanced at Gibbs, who nodded his consent along with Tony. Ziva then turned back to the screen. "Second, you will not, in any way, attempt to get me back into Mossad. Yes, Israel may be my homeland, but America is my home. Therefore, I reserve the right to leave at any time without interference, even if my report is not done. Lastly, my team and I will come in an American transport and we will lodge at a place of my choosing. If you do not agree _all_ of these conditions, then I will refuse to come and will send a videotaped and written report instead." Ziva's face was set. "Do you agree with my conditions?"

For a moment Eli sat silently, resting his chin on the backs of his hands. Finally he spoke. " _Ken, Bat._ I agree."

"Very well. We will see you soon. ShalomEli." Ziva turned and rolled back to where she had been sitting before while Director Vance motioned to one of the MTAC technicians to cut the transmission. As the screen returned to its blank state, Tony grasped Ziva's hand and turned to her.

"You know, the last time we were in Tel Aviv, you were ready to kill me and then I didn't see you for four months. I'm really hoping that we don't get tied to chairs in Somalia again." he grunted.

"This time will be much different." Ziva replied stiffly.

Tony turned back to the blank screen. "I damn well hope so." he replied softly.


	19. My Boss, My Father

The C-130J Super Hercules flying to Tel Aviv dropped sharply as it struggled through a storm, jerking the sleeping Ziva wide awake. Her chocolate brown eyes snapped open and her hand dropped to her holstered gun before she remembered where she was. Ziva rubbed her eyes, and then slowly looked around the interior of the plane. The NCIS team had chosen the mighty cargo plane over a commercial jet for their transport, as it was a military plane, and was exclusively under the control of the United States government. Because of this, the team could make a quick getaway if they needed to.

Ziva was buckled in one of the C-130's uncomfortable seats, with Tony on her right and Gibbs on her left. McGee sat to Tony's right side, and Director Vance sat to Gibb's left. Ziva's wheelchair was buckled into a space between two banks of seats. Most of the other seats were empty, but a few of them were occupied by a small group of hand-picked US Marines- the protection detail for the NCIS team. The six Marines sat slightly apart from the NCIS group, and Ziva could see that they were all fast asleep- like all good soldiers, they had learned to get sleep whenever and wherever they could. They were six hours into their 13-hour flight to Tel Aviv, and Ziva knew that she should try to get back to sleep as well.

However, now that the Israeli was awake, anxiety for the upcoming visit to her homeland had settled in as an uncomfortable ball in her stomach. As Ziva looked around the C-130J's interior once again, she noticed that all of her companions were asleep- or at least doing a very good job feigning sleep, and she was slightly surprised that at least one of them had not woken up as well. Just then the plane hit another wind shear and dropped yet again. Ziva bit back a yelp of pain as the drop sent painful jolts up her broken legs. _No wonder **I** woke up_she thought to herself. Grunting slightly, she shifted her position as best as she could, hoping that this would keep her legs from hurting. She then rested her head on Tony's shoulder and smiled when he didn't move. _He must really be out of here, or is it 'out of it'? I can't remember._ Ziva brushed off her idiom conundrum and closed her eyes, willing sleep to return.

No matter how much she tried to relax, however, sleep refused to come. Ziva vainly strove to not think about her upcoming visit, but the harder she tried, the more her anxiety grew. The feeling grew and grew until Ziva thought that she would scream. Unable to take the painful feeling anymore, Ziva opened her eyes, lifted her head from Tony's shoulder and then softly called out.

"Gibbs?"

The ex-Marine's blue eyes snapped open and his hand dropped to his weapon to his weapon, but then his gaze fell on Ziva. He ran a hand over his face.

"Did you say something Ziva?" he whispered after noticing their sleeping companions.

"Yes Gibbs. I am sorry for waking you, but I need to talk." Gibbs waved away the apology and then fixed her with his famous stare, wordlessly telling her to continue.

"I-I do not know where I should start Gibbs." Ziva paused, gathering her thoughts. Gibbs didn't say a word, but rather let Ziva figure out what she needed to say. Ziva finally started. "I- I am very frightened Gibbs. I am so worried about this trip. So much can go wrong. The last time that I went to Tel Aviv, things did go horribly wrong. It was partially my fault- I should have stayed with NCIS…" Ziva stopped as Gibbs raised a hand.

"What happened was **not** your fault Ziva. You could not have stayed at NCIS with Tony after what he did to Michael, so distancing yourself from him was the right course of action. It was your fat- it was _Eli's_ decision to send you to Somalia, and Tony and McGee's to come after you." Gibb's eyes flashed briefly, and Ziva remembered Gibb's views on apologies.

"You are right. But we all did end up in Somalia nonetheless and while I do not believe something that extreme will happen again, I just don't know if I can trust Mossad. As you have said before, they are not good people." Ziva let out a small sigh, struggling to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Ziva, you know very well that we can turn this plane around anytime. We can do it right now if you'd like. You're the one who knows Mossad and Eli the best, and you know that they have no right and no way to force you to go to Tel Aviv. All we have to do is send a videotape and a written report instead. If you really believe that this is too dangerous, then it's your call." Ziva shook her head vigorously.

"No, I am not saying that we should do that. I am just… it is just… oh damn it Gibbs, every time I go near Mossad, something goes horribly wrong!" Ziva burst out in a furious whisper. "Every time I am near my father, it seem that my life gets torn to pieces, and there are only so many times that I can put those pieces back together again! When I was first sent to NCIS, he had me kill my own brother. Then I was sent back after Director Vance split the team, and I was injured in the bomb blast. Then there was Michael…" Ziva's voice trailed off for a moment and she quickly wiped her face with her sleeve. Taking a shaky breath, she continued. "After that there was Somalia, and I never thought that I would see any of you again. I have lost so much to Mossad, Gibbs, and even when I thought I would be safe in America, working for NCIS, they still managed to hurt me!" Ziva stopped yet again, and her tears flowed freely. When she spoke again, her voice was broken and filled with pain.

"He took our child… _our_ child! I wanted so badly to carry Tony's child Gibbs! And that was taken away from me… I know that I will be able to conceive again, but… oh God Gibbs, how much more can I lose? My miscarriage alone was bad enough even if I hadn't known I was pregnant…" Ziva couldn't say more, but Gibbs suddenly understood.

"You knew that you were pregnant before the accident." he said softly, taking one of Ziva's small hands in his large, warm ones. His eyes were full of untold sorry.

"Y-yes. I felt some-something. Something told me that something was changing inside of me, and wh-when I woke up in the hospital, I-I knew something had gone horribly wrong. It wasn't until you told me that I knew for sure, but there is still a hole in my heart for my lost child." Ziva's body shook with sobs. Gibbs quietly wrapped his arms around his agent and Ziva cried into his shoulder. Gibbs placed his mouth near Ziva's ear and whispered softly into it.

"Ziva, I know that nothing I say will heal your pain for your lost child. But I want you to know that you have always had, and always will have the team and myself standing by your side. There won't be anyone or anything in Mossad able to hurt you while we are there, you hear me? _Nothing._ We are all here for you Zivers." Ziva managed a weak smile as Gibbs produced a handkerchief and gave it to her. Ziva wiped away her tears.

"Thank you Gibbs." she whispered. He grunted in response.

"Keep that." he said, motioning to the handkerchief. "You're welcome. Now, get some sleep." With that, the old Marine shut his eyes. Ziva's smile widened as she pocketed the small square of fabric. Snuggling up against Tony, who was still fast asleep, she soon fell asleep, the ball of anxiety melting into nothing as the Super Hercules roared on to her homeland.


	20. Homeland

Tony, who was very happily in the middle of a dream involving a scantily-clad Ziva, was rudely awakened by a painful head slap, accompanied by Gibb's famous roar.

"DINOZZO!" The younger agent shot upright, nearly falling out of his seat, despite the buckles. He also smacked his head painfully on the wall behind him.

"Yeah Boss?" he yelped, rubbing his sore head.

"We're 5 minutes from landing. Get Ziva's wheelchair." Tony quickly unbuckled himself and carefully made his way to the space where Ziva's folded wheelchair was hooked up. Tony's fingers swiftly removed the hooks from her wheelchair, and he then popped it open and rolled it over to his seat. He sat down, and McGee held the chair while Tony buckled himself back in. Just then Tony felt the plane begin its sharp descent towards the Tel Aviv landing strip.

The C-130J landed with a solid _thump_ , and began to coast down the runway. As soon as the plane had landed, the six Marines accompanying the NCIS team got up and went over to where the coffin of Melek Biram was. When Tony saw the gleam of the polished wood, his hands tightened around the handles of Ziva's wheelchair, and he quickly turned his head towards his wife to keep himself from putting a few rounds into the coffin. He saw that Ziva too was looking away from Melek's coffin, and he also noticed that her entire body was tensed up.

"You okay Love?" he asked quietly, freeing a hand and running it through her hair. Ziva didn't turn her head towards him, but Tony could feel her lean slightly into his hand.

"I am fine, Tony, I am just tired, uncomfortable, and I really, really need to use the head." Tony chuckled softly at this. Ziva clearly had been spending too much time around the Marines- she was starting to use their phrases. One of the younger Marines, who had overheard their conversation, gave Ziva a cheeky grin.

"You know, ma'am, there is always the plastic bag option. Though on a plane full of men, I'd doubt a pretty gal such as yourself would want to use _that_." The Marine's grin quickly vanished as Ziva's ice-cold glare bored into him.

"What is your name?" she growled. The young Marine glanced nervously around at his companions, but they refused to meet his gaze. _They_ knew better than to mess with a former Mossad assassin. The young Marine swallowed nervously.

"Corporal Brenton Cors, ma'am."

"Well, Corporal Cors, I have two things to say to you. The first- _do not_ call me ma'am- I am Special Agent David. The second- if you say something as rude, chauvinistic and sexist as what you just said again, I will happily take out your voice box with my knife. Do I make myself clear Corporal?" Corporal Cor's head bobbed nervously as Tony stifled a laugh.

Any further conversation was cut short by the squeal of the C-130J's brakes. One of the older Marines, after receiving the OK from the pilot, hit the button that opened the rear of the cargo bay. Bright sunlight flooded the Super Hercules's interior, and Tony's arm shot up to block some of it off. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the light, Tony could make out several figures standing at the rear of the C-130J. He guessed that they were Mossad officers, a guess that was quickly confirmed when the Marines marched Melek's coffin to them and placed it on the waiting cart. The men quickly and efficiently unfolded an Israeli flag over Melek's coffin, and then loaded it into one of the waiting cars. That job now finished, the men turned back to the plane.

"That's our cue." Gibbs said with a grunt. Without a further word, he and Director Vance left the plane to greet the Mossad officers while Tony and McGee went to help Ziva into her wheelchair. While she wasn't happy about it, Ziva had no way to get from the plane's seat to her wheelchair unassisted, so she reluctantly allowed Tony and McGee to lift her out of her seat and into her wheelchair. Once she was in it, Tony wheeled her down the C-130J's steep ramp, and then she took control from there.

As soon as Tony, Ziva and McGee had reached Gibbs and Vance, one of the men broke off from the group and strode forward to meet them. The three agents immediately recognized him as Officer Ben-Gidon, the head of Mossad's _Kidon_ unit and Ziva's once-commander. The officer's sharp, angular face showed no emotion upon seeing the three agents, but Tony could see a flicker of disgust in the man's black eyes when they passed over Tony and Ziva. Remembering that Melek had also been a member of the _Kidon_ unit, Tony guessed that Ben-Gidon was one of the people that Eli David had said didn't believe that Biram went rouge. Tony smiled inwardly, even though he hated this man. He was going to have some fun. Forcing his 100-watt grin on his face, Tony strode towards Ben-Gidon, arms outstretched as if to hug him.

"Officer Ben-Gidon! How good to see you again, buddy! Man, it's been _ages_ since I last saw you! Hey, I think we got off on the wrong foot that last time, so let's try again, huh?" Ben-Gidon backed up very quickly, a mix of horror and disgust replacing his earlier mask. Tony noticed that the _Kidon_ commander and his surrounding men were all drawing their weapons, and he stopped and re-traced his steps, deciding that pissing off the trained assassins was probably _not_ the best idea in the world. Gibbs and Vance were both glaring at him, and McGee was trying to look anywhere but were Tony was, but Tony could see that Ziva's hand was covering her mouth, a sure sign that she was smiling.

Ben-Gidon, after recovering from Tony's antics, started to bend down to Ziva's level to greet her with the traditional kiss on both cheeks. However, Ziva clearly had other ideas. Before Ben-Gidon had managed to bend too far down, Ziva thrust out her hand, forcing the _Kidon_ officer to straighten back up and shake her hand instead. Ben-Gidon's face clouded over for a moment, but the look soon passed and was replaced by his Mossad mask. He then spoke in an aloof and formal tone.

"Ziva, welcome home, my dear." Ziva's eyes narrowed slightly. As she responded, her tone went sharp and cold.

"Thank you Officer Ben-Gidon. However, _America_ is my home now, and I would like it if you would address me as Special Agent David." Ziva's harsh tone made Ben-Gidon flinch slightly, but the sharp-faced officer did not make any comment. Instead, he inclined his head slightly in Ziva's direction.

"Very well, _Special Agent David_. If you and your teammates will kindly follow me, your father is anxious to see you." Ben-Gidon did a sharp turn without waiting for a response and strode purposely towards a waiting limousine that Tony had not noticed earlier. As the team followed Ben-Gidon, Tony leaned over to whisper to Ziva.

"What's with the limo?" Ziva lifted and lowered her shoulders in a shrug.

"I do not have any idea Tony. But, between this and Ben-Gidon meeting us, the alarm clocks are going off in my head." she replied, her face grim.

" _Bells._ Alarm _bells_ , Zee-vah." Ziva smiled at Tony's use of her old nickname. "And I agree with you. Something's not right, but I just can't put my finger on it, but I'm very glad the Marines are with us." Ziva nodded at this.

As they approached the waiting limo, two of the Marines split off from the group, the rest returning to the C-130J. Ben-Gidon frowned when he saw the two soldiers.

"We are quite capable of protecting Director Vance and his people." he growled. "You two are welcome to…" Ziva cut the officer off.

"They come with us." she snapped. When Ben-Gidon's mouth opened in protest, she added something in Hebrew. Ben-Gidon's brow furrowed, but he reluctantly allowed the two Marines to enter. Tony was about to ask Ziva what she said, but she caught his eye and shook her head, so he remained silent.

Director Vance and Gibbs quickly followed the Marines in, leaving Tony and McGee to help Ziva into the limo. They worked quickly, and Ziva was soon seated. As Tony was straightening up, he glanced over at the opposite seat and froze. He now knew why the limo had been sent.

Eli David, director of Mossad, sat no more than three feet away from him.


	21. You Bastard

As Ziva settled into the Mossad limo, she couldn't help but to stare at her father, who was sitting next to two Mossad officers. The last time she had seen him face-to-face, he was thin, lined and tired-looking. Now he had filled out, looked younger, and had gone back to his old self- the powerful director of Mossad. Ziva idly wondered what had made him look so much better. Was it possible that he thought that she would return to Mossad? If that was the case, he was greatly mistaken. Just then Tony and McGee filed into the limo and Ziva put those thoughts aside as she helped them pull in her wheelchair. Eli gave the limo driver a signal, and they started off. He then turned back to the NCIS team and spread his hands in a gesture of welcome.

"Shalom, Ziva. Welcome back, even if your stay will be a brief one." Eli smiled warmly, a gesture that Ziva didn't return. She nodded instead.

"Shalom Eli. It is a surprise to see you here." Ziva responded.

"Ah Ziva, can a man not just come to see his own daughter?" Eli asked, raising an eyebrow. Before Ziva could respond, Gibbs snarled at Eli.

"Your daughter?  _Your daughter!_ Don't you dare give me that bullshit Eli! I am more her father than you ever were and ever will be! You do nothing unless it is for your own personal gain. So why don't you stop with the 'I just want to see my daughter' crap and get on to the  _real_ reason of your visit!" Eli, rather than retaliating to Gibb's outburst, merely leaned back in his seat and smiled a predator's smile. His complete lack of response made the hairs on the back of Ziva's neck stand on end.  _This is not going to end well_ she thought to herself. Eli's next words made her go for her weapon.

"Tut, tut, Agent Gibbs, such an ugly temper you have. You really should learn to control it, if you ever want to be a  _good_ leader. However, you were correct. I am not here just to see Ziva." Eli's dark smile widened. "I am here to get her back." Eli made a movement with his hands, and suddenly, without warning, the two Mossad officers sitting next to him grabbed the two unsuspecting Marines and slit their throats. The two soldiers had no time to react and they were soon slumped over in their seats, blood pouring down their fronts. The NCIS team, including Vance, immediately drew their weapons, but froze when Ben-Gidon's snarling voice rang out from behind Ziva.

"Drop your weapons or Ziva dies!" Ziva closed her eyes, cursing herself for forgetting about Ben-Gidon. She could feel the cold steel of his knife against her jugular. When the team didn't immediately release their weapons, Ben-Gidon pressed his blade down harder on Ziva's throat, and she winced as the knife drew blood. Eli's smooth-as-silk voice rolled out.

"Now, as Officer Ben-Gidon said, drop your weapons. I would rather not have to kill my own daughter, but I will do as I must to ensure that either I get her, or no agency does." Eli's last few words curled into a frightening snarl, and their meaning caused Ziva to shiver, despite the fact that the movement caused Ben-Gidon's knife to cut deeper into her throat. Eli had gone mad! Sitting stock-still, unable to speak, she fixed her blazing eyes on her "father". The NCIS team's faces showed absolute hatred as well, but they were unable to do anything about it. There was a clatter as the agents reluctantly released their weapons, and one of the officers immediately retrieved them while the other quickly handcuffed the team. One of the officers also went over to Ziva and relieved her of all her weapons, including her backups, and then handcuffed her as well. Once that was done, the officers sat quietly, pointing their weapons at the agents, and Ben-Gidon removed his knife from Ziva's throat, but kept it close by. Eli gave a small sigh.

"Much better. Unfortunately, I am afraid I will have to kill all of you. I cannot have you running back to the United States and coming back to get my daughter, now can I?" Eli's mockingly gentle voice pushed the furious Tony over the edge.

"You BASTARD! That's my WIFE you're kidnapping! Get your filthy hands off of her you-you prick!" Eli nodded at one of his officers, and the man lunged at Tony and slammed the butt of his gun into the agent's temple. Tony immediately slumped forward and Ziva screamed, lunging against her restraints. Ben-Gidon placed his knife against the unconscious agent's throat, and she stopped. Gibbs, blue eyes flaming with fury, growled at Eli.

"Why are you doing this Eli? And how in hell do you plan to explain killing us?" Eli just chuckled, and Ziva could see a flicker of fear in Gibb's eyes- he was helpless to protect his team.

"Oh, I have no intention of letting the United States government know that we killed you. Oh no, your deaths will just be another tragic accident in war-torn Israel. As Ziva knows all too well, suicide bombers are an unfortunate common place here. You all will be casualties of such a bombing." Eli gave a harsh laugh. "I will even have a woman with the same body of Ziva accompany you to your death to make sure that no one comes for my daughter. It will be a shame to have to lose you my friend," Eli nodded towards a furious Vance, "but you have left me no choice. You should have left Ziva here while you had the chance. As for why I am doing this, well, I guess it is not so much fatherly love as the fact that Ziva represents a significant investment for Mossad. She was raised from childhood to be an assassin, and her skills and years of training would only be wasted by NCIS. So, I had to get her back. When Melek failed to retrieve her, I had to come up with some excuse to get her to come back to Israel. Of course, I would have preferred her to come alone, but then again, you idiots would have tried to get her back."

Ziva felt hot tears of anger and pain roll down her face. Betrayed yet again by her people! First Ari, then Michael, and now her own father! How could she have been so foolish to trust this man? She hissed out her next words, her heart breaking.

"So that is all I am to you Eli? An  _investment_? You filthy bastard! After everything I have done for Israel, for Mossad, for  _you_ , this is what you treat me as! I am not your daughter- I am not even a human being to you! I am simply a weapon- no more than one of the tanks in our army or the gun at your hip! Well I have news for you  _Papa._ " Ziva spat that word out like a curse. "You are going to have to kill me anyway, because I will NEVER go back to Mossad!" Ziva spat a wad of saliva into her father's face. Eli's face went red, and he slowly wiped off the spit, and then drew his gun. Gibbs, Vance and McGee all tried to jump at Eli, but were restrained by the Mossad officers. Ziva sat perfectly still, face emotionless as Eli leveled his gun and aimed it at her forehead. Just as his finger was curling around the trigger, she shouted a word in Hebrew.

"NOW!"

Suddenly the driver jerked the wheel hard to the left, and the limo spun sharply, accompanied by the blare of car horns. Eli's hand flew sideways, and the gun went off, punching a hole in the roof. Before he could re-aim, the two "dead" Marines suddenly jumped up and restrained him, pulling his gun out of his hand and cuffing him. One of the Mossad officers gagged him with a cloth, while the other removed the handcuffs from the NCIS team and gave back their weapons. Meanwhile, Ben-Gidon retrieved a first aid kit from the seat next to him and bandaged the cuts his knife had made on Ziva's neck. When he finished with that, he then produced a walkie-talkie and spoke into it.

"Did you get all of that recorded?"

A male's voice crackled over the speaker. "Copy that, Officer Ben-Gidon. We now have plenty to convict him."

"Very good. We will meet you at headquarters." Ben-Gidon turned off the walkie, and, ignoring the team's incredulous looks, placed a hand on Ziva's shoulder.

"You have Mossad's gratitude, Special Agent David, for agreeing to do this. Without your help we would never have been able to convict your father." Ziva nodded as the team stared at her, dumbfounded. Gibbs was the first to speak.

"What the hell is going on here?" he growled. Just then there was a moan from Tony, and Ziva saw that his eyes were starting to open. She motioned to Ben-Gidon, who pulled a waiting bag of ice out, and gave it to her. Ziva carefully placed it on her husband's temple and gave him a few aspirin to swallow. She then turned back to Gibbs.

"Rule number 18 Gibbs. It is better to seek forgiveness than to ask for permission. When we get to Mossad headquarters, and Eli is locked up, I will tell you everything."


	22. Explaining

Tony sat in the back of the Mossad limo, eyes shut tightly, bag of ice pressed firmly against his head, desperately wishing that the throbbing pain radiating from his temple would go away. Ziva was tracing small circles on the back of his free hand, and he knew that she felt really bad that this had happened to him. As the limo rolled on towards the Mossad headquarters, Tony idly wondered if the knock to the head had not been part of the Ziva's plan. _Then again,_ he thought, _there **was** a bag of ice waiting by Ben-Gidon._Tony's thoughts were rudely interrupted by the squeal of brakes and the sudden deceleration of the limo, which threw him into his seatbelt and caused his already aching head to pound. Tony gave a low moan, wondering if the driver was related to Ziva.

When he could open his eyes again, Tony saw that Ziva was already being placed into her wheelchair by Gibbs and McGee. After Ziva had settled into her chair, Gibbs extended a hand and helped Tony get out of the car. The bedraggled crew slowly worked its way into the Mossad building. As soon as they were inside, Ziva made an immediate beeline for the restrooms, the rest of the team, including Tony, following suit. When they had finished, the Mossad officers led them to a well-furnished conference room, a room that far exceeded the one that Tony had been interrogated in a year before. As Tony gratefully sank into one of the leather chairs with a groan, the officer who had struck him sheepishly handed over a mug, explaining that it was jasmine tea. Tony gave the mug a wary glance, but decided to humor his hosts and took a careful sip. He didn't really like the taste, but he did feel better. Catching sight of Ziva, who was watching him with a worried look on her face, he gave a small wave.

"I'm fine Zi. Let's hear your story." he croaked. Ziva didn't look totally convinced, but she took a deep breath anyway and launched into her explanation with a measured tone.

"Not long after Engel's arrival I was contacted by Officer Michael Bashan from the Israeli Embassy. He told me that he and Officer Hadar had been gathering a quiet few in Mossad and had been trying to bring a case against Eli for some time- ever since my capture in Somalia, in fact. It wasn't until now, however, that they had gathered nearly enough evidence , and even then they really didn't have enough." Ziva took a sip of water from the glass in front of her, and then continued.

"It was Officer Ben-Gidon who found out about Eli's plan to kidnap me. Eli was very much convinced that Malachi was loyal to him, however…" Ben-Gidon cut in.

"But after the business in Somalia, I knew that Eli had to be stopped. At the time I was not aware of Officers Bashan's and Hadar's group, but I did know one thing. Eli was a poison that was slowly destroying Mossad- he was changing it from an honorable government agency that protected the Israeli people to something that was little more than a Jewish Mafia. Then one day I overheard Officer Hadar and two men whispering in the hallway about the case they were building, and questioned them. It was then that I found out about everything that they were doing. When I told them about the plan to kidnap Ziva…" Ben-Gidon motioned for Ziva to continue the story.

"Officer Bashan and Officer Hadar worked together to turn Eli's plan into one that they could use to gather the remaining evidence that they needed to convict him of treason. So they went ahead and wired the cars that Eli planned on using with electronic insects…"

"Bugs." everyone on the NCIS team said together. Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, _bugs_ , but they were missing one crucial element- me. At first Officer Bashan was worried about recruiting me- he didn't know if I would try to protect Eli, as he was my biological father. But Malachi knew where I stood, and I was quick to make it clear that I considered Eli dead to me. So Officer Bashan laid out the plan to trap Eli for me, and explained how I would fit in." Ziva then nodded to Ben-Gidon to continue.

"At first our plan was designed for Ziva to come alone. But we had to revise that when she told us that you would never have let her return to Israel alone, especially in the state she is in."

"Damn right." Gibbs growled.

"So we simply adjusted." Ben-Gidon continued with a shrug. "When Ziva found out that a team of US Marines would be assigned to protect you, she made a few calls and got their commanding officer, and then passed that on to Officer Bashan. He then debriefed the Marines just before they were scheduled to board the C-130J, and explained how they would help. He also gave them their needed equipment to carry out the plan."

"Equipment?" Director Vance asked with a raised eyebrow. One of the Marines reached down into his bag and carefully pulled out a small, clear package filled with a red liquid and a knife.

"Squibs." the Marine said, holding up the package. "And trick knives." He turned the knife so that the blade was facing down, and a blood-colored liquid, similar to the one in the packet, dripped off of the tip. "We put the squibs on our necks while your attention was on Eli."

"So when the officers 'slit' your throats…" McGee started, realization dawning on his face.

"The trick knives created a fake blood trail and the squibs burst over the area were the jugular is." Ben-Gidon finished. Gibbs pounded the table with a fist.

"So, it was okay for our _protection detail_ to know about this plan, but not us?" he roared. Ben-Gidon angrily opened his mouth to retaliate, but stopped when Ziva lifted her hand.

"Gibbs, please." Tony noticed that Ziva's voice had gone soft and pleading. "It would have been too dangerous for _all_ of us if you had known. If I had let you in on the plan, you would not have reacted so strongly to Malachi holding his knife to my throat, and Eli would have known that something was up- he would have seen the trap we were setting. I wanted so much to tell you, but If Eli had sensed the trap he would have never said anything and we would not get the evidence we so badly needed. He was getting too dangerous; he would have come after me sooner or later in the end. I had no choice but to do it this way." Ziva looked steadily into Gibb's eyes, but Tony could see a lone tear trickling down her cheek. "Can you forgive me Gibbs?" she whispered.

Gibbs gave his face a tired rub. "You could have been killed Ziva." he growled.

"It was a risk that I needed to take. Besides, the Marines and the Mossad Officers would have stopped Eli had I been unable to tell the driver to swerve." Ziva said evenly. She continued to stare at Gibbs, brown eyes begging for forgiveness. Tony, having already forgiven her a long time ago, quietly placed his hand on hers. Gibbs sighed tiredly.

"What's done is done. I'm not happy with how this was planned, but I **am** glad that the bastard is locked up. I forgive you."

"Thank you Gibbs." Ziva said, a small smile forming on her face.

"But," Gibbs continued, "If you EVER do anything like that again, I will shoot you myself. Now let's go home."

"Agreed." Tony and Ziva chorused.


	23. Free

A month after the team's fateful visit to Israel, Ziva was once again riding with her husband in the elevator. Engel was standing happily between the couple. The German Shepherd- whose hair had now fully grown back and was turning into a magnificent dog- was clearly very happy to have his humans home again. Ziva chuckled as the excited puppy wound his blue leash around Tony's legs again and again while Tony struggled to untangle himself and keep his balance at the same time. Just then the elevator gave its familiar "ding" and the doors slid open. Engel rushed out, tightening the leash around Tony's ankles. Tony gave a yell as he fell forward, and Ziva howled with laughter. Tony, after much grunting and cursing, finally freed himself from the ensnaring leash and handed the joyful Engel over to a grinning Abby who had witnessed the entire show. As Tony got back up, Abby turned to Ziva, who was exiting the elevator.

"Oh my God, Ziva, look at you!" she squealed.

Ziva smiled happily. Her cumbersome wheelchair and bulky casts were both gone. While she still had to use forearm crutches to get around, and was undergoing intense physical therapy to regain the full use of both legs, she had been healing very quickly and was actually walking quite smoothly despite the crutches. Of course, she was still unable to do any fieldwork, but she was out of the damned wheelchair, and that was what mattered the most to her.

"Thank you Abby. You have no idea just how wonderful it is to be out of that wheelchair." Abby gave Ziva a careful hug and then scurried back to her lab while Engel busied himself by chewing on one of her pigtails. Ziva gave a small chuckled as she followed Tony to the bullpen.

.....

The day passed fairly quickly, mostly filled with cold cases and paperwork. It was evening now, and the team was finishing the last of their work. Abby had shown up in the bullpen with Engel, and Tony and Ziva were preparing to leave. All of the sudden, Gibb's phone began to ring. Gibbs picked it up and listened intently for a few seconds and then nodded.

"We'll be right up." he said. Placing the phone back in its cradle, he motioned to Tony and Ziva.

"You two, with me. Director Vance wants to see all of us." Ziva glanced quizzically at Tony, who gave a quick shrug. The pair turned and followed Gibb's receding figure up the stairs.

Once the three agents were inside the director's office, Vance motioned for them to sit at his conference table. Tony and Ziva immediately took their seats while Gibbs went over to Vance's liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink. Director Vance looked steadily at Ziva.

"Special Agent David, I just received a call from Director Hadar in Tel Aviv." Officer Hadar, now Director Hadar, had replaced Eli as the head of Mossad. "He gave me some disturbing news. You will want to see this." Vance pushed a button on his remote and the TV flickered to life, showing ZNN footage.

The first thing that showed on the screen was a pack of Israeli emergency vehicles, sirens yelping, surrounded by a contingent of Israeli soldiers. Harsh Hebrew phrases were being shouted back and forth, and the faces that the camera caught all showed anger. The noise cut down as a female reporter's voice broke in.

"We are here live in Tel Aviv, Israel, where just a few hours ago Eli David, former director of Mossad, was killed by a sniper shot." Ziva's breath escaped in a startled hiss, and Tony grasped her hand. "David, captured and convicted of treason a month ago by members of his own organization was leaving Mossad headquarters to be transported to prison when the shot struck him in the head. He was pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics. Director Hadar, the current director of Mossad was unavailable for comment…" The reporter's voice was cut off as Director Vance switched off the TV. Ziva had gone numb with shock and barely heard the director's next words.

"When I spoke to Director Hadar a few minutes ago, he said that Mossad agents had captured the sniper. The director would not release the man's name, but he did tell me that the man did confess to murdering Eli. The man said he had shot him because he too believed that Eli was destroying Mossad and Israel, and he didn't deserve to live. However, all that matters is that the man is in Mossad custody, and he is not after Eli's family, meaning you, Agent David." Ziva could only nod. She knew that the director was concerned about her well-being, and that was why he was telling her this, but right now she wanted nothing more than to go home with Tony.

"Thank you for your concern, Director Vance. I would like to just go back to our apartment now, I need some time to ingest the news." she said softly.

" _Digest_ the news, but of course you and Agent DiNozzo are free to leave as long as Gibbs does not need you any longer." Vance responded.

Gibbs gave a curt nod. "Go home you two. Get some rest."

…..

An hour later, Tony, Ziva and Engel were all eating their respective dinners in silence. Ziva was in no mood to talk, and instead played with her food, her usual appetite gone. Tony, sensing her unwillingness to talk, remained silent as well, something Ziva was very grateful for.

Later, Tony and Ziva climbed into their bed, and Engel jumped up with them. Ziva stroked Engel's head and waited for Tony to turn out the light. However, Tony did not. Instead, he rolled onto his side and fixed his green eyes on her.

"Zi." he whispered softly. "Please talk to me." Ziva couldn't look at him. She didn't really want to talk, but just then Tony leaned over and enveloped her mouth in a soft, yet passionate, kiss.

"Please don't keep this bottled up, Love." he murmured. Ziva gave a small sigh, then, resting her head on Tony's chest, she spoke.

"I- I am finally  _free_ Tony." she whispered fiercely. She locked her brown eyes on Tony's soft green ones. "Free, and I still can't believe it. I am free from the man who ordered me to kill my own brother. Free from the man who caused me to spend four months of torture in Somalia. Free from the man who caused the death of our unborn child. I am truly and completely free, free to call America my home, free to call NCIS my family, free to not fear, free to love you without having to look over my shoulder for retaliation. The last tie, the most  _poisonous_ one to my old, painful life has now been broken, and I am so happy." Ziva reached up and matched Tony's previous kiss with one of her own. "And I want to share my happiness with the most important man in my life." she hissed.

Tony gave a deep chuckle and flicked off the light. He then carefully rolled over and straddled Ziva, entering her slowly. Engel gave a protesting yelp as and leapt off the bed. But the two were too deep into their passion to care. The night was theirs, and they spent it in love.


	24. Discovery

Two weeks after Eli's death the team was once again sitting in the bullpen trying to find leads on another case. Tony was typing up an e-mail to one of his numerous contacts from the Boston PD, and at one point looked up and caught a glance at his wife. He couldn't help but to frown slightly. Ziva had not been looking very good these past few weeks- ever since Eli's death, really. Her normally tan, healthy-looking face was now pale and drawn, dark circles were starting to appear under her eyes, and her normally luscious, shiny hair was now lank and dull. In short, Ziva looked like hell, although Tony would never dream of telling her that. Tony's frown deepened as he beheld Ziva's appearance. It wasn't just her appearance that had changed- her energy level was almost gone as well. Ziva was always flat-out exhausted when they got home, barely making it through dinner before collapsing in bed and falling asleep. And she rarely went out to run in the mornings anymore, and when she did, she never ran nearly as far as she used to- a mile tops.

All of these factors combined, especially the missing runs, was really worrying Tony. It really was just not like Ziva to not run! Tony wondered if Eli's death had affected Ziva more than she was willing to let on.  _But that can't be the case_ he thought.  _She had been so happy, so free that night- I could see it in her eyes!_ Tony's musings were suddenly cut short by the shrill ring of Gibb's phone. Gibbs picked up the phone, listened, and then nodded.

"Yeah, Abs, we'll be there in a second." he said. Replacing the phone, he motioned to his team. "Com'mon. Abby has something for us." Everyone got up, but Tony thought he saw Ziva wobble a bit before catching her balance. However, when he looked at her, she stubbornly straightened up, and then swept past him. Tony let out a sigh, but followed Ziva to Abby's lab without a word.

When the team entered Labby, there were greeted by Abby's usual pounding waves of music, but this time it was slightly muted for Engel's sake. Tony grinned as the mischievous puppy came racing out of Abby's office to say hi, and then very happily began to pull on one of McGee's pants legs. McGee, startled by the sudden tug, gave a yelp and desperately tried to rescue his expensive pants leg from the German Shepherd's sharp puppy teeth.

"You sure have a way with dogs there, McGruff." Tony scoffed. McGee scowled and finally managed to pull his pant leg free. Just then Tony caught a whiff of a sharp and disgusting chemical smell. Although he had smelled worse, he covered his nose with one hand and was just about to ask Abby what the smell was when he heard the sound of retching coming from behind him. At first Tony thought it was weak-gut McGee who was losing his lunch, but just as he was turning around to mock the junior agent, he saw that it was Ziva, and not Tim, who was leaning over an empty biohazard bin, vomiting heavily. Tony rushed over to his wife's side and carefully pulled her hair out of her face with one hand and rubbed the small of her back with the other. Ziva made a soft sound, groaned, and heaved yet again. Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw Gibbs holding back a concerned Abby and McGee, his own face reflecting their worry for the sick agent. Ziva gave one more dry heave, and then slowly pushed herself away from the biohazard bin and accepted a paper towel from Gibbs. She thanked him softly, wiped her mouth, and rested her head on Tony's chest, panting.

"You should go back to the bullpen Zivers." Gibb's gruff voice was unable to hide a note of concern. Ziva shook her head.

"No Gibbs, I am fine. The smell just caught me off guard, that is all." Ziva pushed away from Tony, and slowly stood back up. "See? I am perfectly fi…" Ziva never finished her sentence. Her eyes rolled back into her head and to Tony's horror she pitched forward. Tony shot up at the same time that Gibbs shot forward, and the two agents grabbed Ziva's limp body before it hit the floor. Tony glanced up at Gibbs, panic in his eyes.

"Get her to Ducky! NOW!" Gibbs roared.

Two minutes later Tony, McGee and Gibbs carried Ziva into autopsy, Abby trailing behind them. Ducky, hearing the autopsy doors hiss open, turned around, a startled look crossing his face as he beheld the team. He opened his mouth to ask, but Gibbs cut him off.

"We need a clean table, Duck." he grunted, voice slightly strained from the effort of carrying Ziva.

"Oh, of course Jethro. Here, use this one." Ducky replied, motioning to one of the tables. "What happened to poor Ziva?" he asked as the three agents carefully placed her limp body on the open table.

"We don't know Ducky." Tony replied, worry thick in his voice. "We were in Abby's lab, and suddenly there was this bad chemical smell."

"Formaldehyde. I was using it to preserve some beetle samples for our case." Abby's voice was numb with shock.

"Well, all of the sudden Ziva started to throw up. It was pretty bad, and then she tried to stand. She fainted almost immediately. She hasn't been looking really good these past few weeks, ever since Eli's death, and she's been really tired a lot. She hardly goes running anymore." Ducky's head jerked up at this, surprised showing once again on his lined face. "Could this be related to her injuries from the car crash?" Tony asked.

Ducky, who was pulling out an empty hypodermic needle and a rubber tourniquet tie, shook his head. "That is doubtful, Anthony." the Scotsman said as he tied the tourniquet around Ziva's left upper arm. "Ziva's healing has progressed at a rapid rate, and if there had been any illness or infection from her wounds, it would most likely have happened within the first few weeks of her recovery. Of course, there are a number of other illnesses she could have got while on the job, especially while she was in Israel, so I am going to draw some blood and have Abby run some tests to see what is going on." Ducky carefully inserted the needle into Ziva's vein and filled the empty tube with her blood. When the tube was full he handed the sample over to the waiting Abby, who took it without a word and rushed back to her lab, McGee following her. Meanwhile, Ducky untied the rubber tourniquet and bandaged Ziva's arm. When he was finished with that, he hurried over to his cabinets and began looking through them while calling out instructions to Jimmy.

"Mr. Palmer, would you please get three or four blankets and prop Ziva's legs up? We need to get the blood flowing back to her brain. Cover her up with one as well, we don't need the poor girl to go into shock. Now I know that I have some smelling salts around here somewhere… Ah! There they are!" Ducky pulled out a small blue bottle as Jimmy and Tony placed the blankets under Ziva's leg and then draped one over her. Ducky then gently rubbed the salts under Ziva's nose. Ziva's eyes fluttered open, and she sneezed.

"Tony? Wh-where am I?" she asked, clearly confused. Tony gently grasped his wife's hand.

"You're in Autopsy, Zi. Do you remember anything?"

Ziva closed her eyes briefly. "I remember a horrible smell, and throwing up, but nothing else." Ziva tried to sit up, but Tony and Gibbs pushed her back down.

"You need to keep lying down Ziva. You fainted, and you're not going anywhere until you're recovered and Abby finds out what's going on. Shouldn't be too long." Gibbs growled. Ziva grunted, but did as she was told and laid her head back down on the table. Gibbs nodded to Tony. "DiNozzo, you stay with her until Abby comes back with the results and she can get up." Tony nodded and dragged a stool over to Ziva's table. Gibbs then turned and left autopsy.

"How are you feeling, Zi?" Tony asked softly, running a hand through her disheveled hair.

"Really, really tired." Ziva muttered. She closed her eyes and exhaled softly. Tony rubbed her shoulder and watched the seconds tick by, waiting to see what was going on with his beloved wife.

…..

Half an hour later, Abby came bursting into autopsy, a happy look on her face. Ziva's eyes snapped open and followed her bouncing figure, and Tony opened his mouth to ask what was going on. However, Abby stopped him with a raised hand, and scurried over to Ducky.

"Hey Duck-man, can you confirm these results?" Abby practically shoved the piece of paper in Ducky's face. Ducky grabbed the paper, read it through, and a smile crept over his face.

"Your findings are absolutely correct, my dear. Do you want me to…" Ducky was cut off by Abby, who was bouncing around excitedly.

"No! No! No!" Abby rushed over to Tony and Ziva, who both had 'What the hell is going on here?' looks on their faces. Without any preamble, she gave Ziva a crushing hug and then stepped back.

"Ziva, you're pregnant!"


	25. Oh Baby!

" _Ziva, you're pregnant!"_

_ Pregnant! _ That single word rang through Ziva's thoughts over and over as a feeling of numbness crept over her entire body. She could only stare at Abby in complete shock.

_ Pregnant? _ Slowly, almost cautiously, Ziva's hand traveled down her body to rest on her flat stomach, and she looked incredulously at it. _Is there really a child in me?_ Ziva wondered. She looked back up at Abby, whose earlier look of ecstatic happiness had vanished, replaced by a forlorn look. It was clear that Abby thought, from Ziva's reaction, that she had brought bad news to the former Israeli.

"Are you positive, Abby?" Ziva managed to whisper.

"Yes, Ziva. Your hormone levels are really high, especially your estrogen and progesterone levels, and Ducky confirmed it. Your fatigue, vomiting and fainting, are all caused by your pregnancy." Abby responded in a neutral tone.

Ziva then turned to Tony, who took her hand in both of his. As she gazed upon his gentle face, she saw that his green eyes were full of love, and Ziva knew from his soft expression that he would support whatever decision she chose to make. Ziva felt her eyes fill with tears. How could she deserve this man?

"Tony," she croaked. Suddenly a rush of emotion overtook her and Ziva let the tears fall. She rested her head on Tony's open shoulder. "I'm going to be a mother!"

Looking up, Ziva saw Tony's face light up with his famous 100-watt grin and tears of joy welled up in his eyes as well. Ever so gently he laid his large, warm hand on her stomach, rubbing the back of Ziva's hand with his other thumb.

"Our baby's in there, Ziva. _Our_ baby!" He leaned over and gave Ziva a soft kiss on the forehead. Abby, meanwhile, gave a happy little squeal, jumping up and down and clapping her hands. Suddenly Tony shot up and gave the bubbly Goth a huge hug, and then spun her around in a crazy dance as Ziva sat up and laughed. Jimmy, standing awkwardly in the background, just stared.

"Abs, thank you! I'm going to be a dad! Can you believe it? Daddy DiNozzo! HA!" Tony spun the laughing Abby around once more and then went over to Ducky, who was smiling broadly. Tony took the old Scotsman's lined hand and shook it.

"Thank you, too, Ducky." he said.

"You are most welcome Anthony. It is always a pleasure to bring the news of new life, instead of death." Tony then turned back to Ziva, who was slowly making her way off of the autopsy table and offered a supporting hand, which she promptly waved away. Ziva stood up straight, eyes closed, and then exhaled slowly.

"I am fine Tony. We should go and tell Gibbs the news, yes?" Tony's face blanched somewhat, but he gave a small nod nonetheless and twined his fingers in hers. Just then Ducky held up a hand.

"Ziva my dear, before you go, I need to give you some medical advice." Ziva turned back to Ducky. "Obviously I am no obstetrician, and I would highly recommend that you see one regularly throughout these next nine months to ensure your baby's health. However, I did see that Abby's test results showed your iron levels to be a bit too low for my liking, which is likely the reason why you fainted, and partially why you have been so run-down lately. I would recommend taking an iron supplement daily and increasing your intake of iron-rich foods. Taking a daily multivitamin, if you aren't already doing so, wouldn't be a bad idea. And while you still need exercise, you may want to change from running to swimming, for the baby's sake as well as for yours."

Ziva nodded. "Is there anything else I need to know, Ducky?"

"Not to my knowledge. As I said, you should start seeing an obstetrician, and the sooner, the better. You know, this whole situation reminds me of my old college days, there was this fellow female college student in one of my lecture classes…" Ziva and Tony immediately rushed towards the autopsy doors, desperately trying to escape another one of Ducky's lengthy stories.

"Um, Ducky? I am sure your story is a very interesting one, but we really need to go talk to Gibbs." Ziva said quickly. She and Tony hurried through the autopsy doors without waiting for an answer, Abby trailing behind them. Behind them, they could hear Ducky's voice continuing his story to the unfortunate Jimmy.

"Well, then Mr. Palmer, maybe you would like to hear this story. It must have been my third, no fourth year…"

…..

Tony and Ziva stepped quietly out of the elevator and nervously headed towards the bullpen, Abby scurrying past them and heading to her lab. A quick glance around the area told Ziva that Gibbs was not there, and she relaxed somewhat. McGee, who had been busily typing away at his screen, had looked up when Abby passed, and smiled when he caught sight of Ziva walking once again.

"Hey, Ziva, how are you doing? Did Abby find out what was going on?" Ziva nodded distractedly, still looking for Gibbs.

"Yes she did McGee, but we need to speak with Gibbs right away. Have you seen him?" McGee's face showed concern, but before he could answer, Gibb's voice rang out.

"I thought I told you to rest, David!" Ziva looked up to see Gibbs standing next to Director Vance on the second-floor balcony, face creased into a frown, hand clenched around a cup of coffee. Rather than responding, Ziva headed up the stairs as quickly as she could, Tony trailing behind her, ready to help if she should stumble. When she reached Gibbs, he gave her his famous piercing glare.

"Well?" he growled.

"Abby came back with my test results Gibbs. Tony and I need to speak with you and Director Vance in private, if it is possible." she said, glancing at the director. He gave a curt nod.

"Let's go to my office, then." he said. The three agents followed Director Vance into his spacious office and settled into the chairs surrounding the conference table. Ziva gave an involuntary shiver. The last time she had been in here, her father had just been shot. Pushing that thought aside, she looked at Gibbs, who had fixed his blue eyes on her. The former Israeli took a deep, calming breath.

"Gibbs, I am pregnant."

Silence.

Ziva shut her eyes, preparing for the customary head slap and explosion. Neither came. Ziva slowly opened her eyes to see Gibbs calmly taking a sip of his coffee, face as emotionless as ever.

"Wondered when that was going to happen." he grunted. Tony looked up sharply, a confused look crossing his face.

"No head slaps, Boss? Not that I'm suggesting them or anything." he added quickly as Gibb's hand jerked threateningly.

"Don't have a rule against getting pregnant or getting someone pregnant. Just against dating." Gibbs turned to Vance. "Leon, does NCIS have a maternity policy?"

Vance scratched his chin. "As far as I know, Ziva can leave two to three weeks before her due date, and can stay out for up to six months after the baby is born. Obviously Ziva, you will be unable to do any fieldwork or interviews," Ziva groaned at this, "And I want you to limit your time in autopsy and in Ms. Sciuto's lab, in case there are any harmful chemicals or diseases that could harm your baby. But you can still do paperwork, video conferences and take statements." Ziva sighed, but nodded. She really didn't have a choice in the matter, if she wanted to keep her baby safe.

"DiNozzo, you'll still be in the field." Gibbs said. "Got that?" Tony nodded. "Good. Alright you two. Finish any paperwork you have and call it a day. I want to both of you here at 0700 tomorrow."

"Agent David, before you leave, I have something to give to you." Ziva, who had been heading for the door with Tony, turned back to Director Vance, who was pulling out a sheet of paper from a file. He placed it upside-down on his desk. "Director Hadar called me this morning. A team of Mossad lawyers have been going through your father's personal affects- his property, possessions, and accounts. Everything was sold, and as you are the last of the David family, the money is legally yours, to use as you see fit." Director Vance slid the paper across the desk and Ziva carefully picked it up. She turned it over slowly, and then hissed in surprise when she saw the amount. _2.6 **million** dollars!_How could she even begin to handle this amount! Turning to Tony, who was looking over her shoulder, she saw that his eyes had widened in shock. She turned back to Director Vance.

"Thank-you, Director." Vance nodded.

"I know that you have all rights to use the money in any way, Agent David, but I hope that you will spend it wisely." he said quietly. Ziva nodded curtly, and then turned with Tony and left, clutching the paper in shaking hands.

…..

As Tony and Ziva headed down the stairs, quietly discussing their new development and what to do with it, they nearly ran into a mob of people standing in and around the bullpen.

"What the…" Tony growled. The people were all centered around one person, but neither Ziva nor Tony could see who it was.

"Hey! What the hell is going on here?" Tony roared. Suddenly all the noise stopped as the mob turned and saw Tony and Ziva standing there. With guilty looks written all over their faces, the mob quickly scattered, and Ziva saw dollar bills being frantically shoved into purses and wallets. As the crowd thinned out, Ziva finally saw who they had all been standing around- Abby. The Goth was happily standing in the middle of the bullpen, gleefully counting off a large wad of cash.

"I'm still a couple thousand dollars short, people! You'd better make sure you pay up, or I'm hunting you down and leaving no forensic evidence! Oh, and make sure you get those other people to pay as well!" Turning to a crestfallen McGee, she flashed a grin. "I **told** you it would only take two months, Timmy! Too bad Ducky thought that as well. Still, two thousand, seven hundred and fifty bucks are all mine!" Abby skipped off to her lab, leaving McGee staring sullenly after her. Suddenly he caught sight of Tony and Ziva standing at the bullpen entrance and ducked his head, typing furiously. Tony sidled up to him, green eyes flashing.

"McGeek, is there a reason why there was a mob standing around the bullpen?" he growled as McGee stared determinedly at his computer screen. "The last time this place was that crowded was at last year's Christmas party when Palmer got completely drunk and was lying on the floor singing Monty Python's 'Lumberjack Song'." Ziva chuckled quietly at the memory. McGee looked up cautiously, and, seeing the look in Tony's eyes, spoke in a subdued voice.

"Ummm… there might have been a small office betting pool going on. We were betting on how long it would take you to knock- I mean for Ziva to get pregnant after the accident. I was three months too long, but Abby and Ducky got it right off."

"WHAT!" Tony and Ziva yelled. McGee, who was slowly backing up in his seat, winced.

"Alright, Elf Lord, just who all was in on this bet?" Tony growled. Ziva was too angry to speak.

"Umm… just me, Abby, Ducky, Palmer, and… most of NCIS."

Tony groaned. "Is that all, Probie?"

"There could be a few agents from the FBI… and CGIS… and the CIA…"

Tony and Ziva both groaned this time. "Just how many are there, McGee?" Ziva snapped.

"Fifty-five. But it was all Abby's idea, honest!" Just then Gibbs came up and smacked McGee on the back of the head.

"What was that for?" McGee yelped.

"Betting against your teammates." Gibbs replied. Tony snickered, and Gibbs gave him an even harder head slap. Tony winced and grabbed the back of his head.

"Ow Boss, what was that for?"

"Getting Ziva pregnant. Congratulations, DiNozzo. You just made a trained assassin severely hormonal." Gibbs grinned and Ziva laughed as Tony's face went completely white.


	26. Escrow

It was Saturday, two weeks after Ziva had found out she was pregnant. Tony was waking slowly, reveling in the fact that there was no blaring alarm to jolt him to his senses. He and Ziva were curled together, her back to his chest, and he smiled warmly, taking in the beauty of her sleeping form. The soft morning sunlight shown on Ziva's bare skin making her body glow with a beautiful light. Freeing an arm, Tony gently ran his hand through Ziva's dark curls, marveling at how much it had changed- it had grown even more thick and luscious now that she was pregnant. Tony remembered Ducky telling him that this would happen, and the ME had also given some explanation that was completely lost on Tony. Whatever the reason for Ziva's hair, Tony could not stop admiring it.

As he continued to stroke her hair, Ziva stirred slowly as she woke up and let out a soft moan. Tony, thinking that the sound was one of pleasure, widened his grin and moved closer to whisper in his wife's ear. The peace was shattered, however, when Ziva let out a loud, harsh groan and lurched out of their bed, rushing towards the bathroom. Tony barely managed to grab an excited Engel, who was bound and determined to chase after Ziva. As Tony was struggling out of the covers, while still holding onto a squirming Engel, the sound of retching filled his ears. Tony let out a groan.  _Morning sickness_ he thought.  _Not again…_

Tony set Engel outside the bathroom door and shut it before the puppy could enter. He could hear the German Shepherd's whining, but right now that didn't matter. As he turned to Ziva, he was greeted by the painful sight of his wife leaning over the toilet bowl, arms shaking and sides heaving as she gasped for air. Tony winced- from the way Ziva looked, this was going to be an intense episode. Tony quickly switched on the bathroom fan and then stood behind Ziva. He carefully pulled her hair away from her face and gathered it into a loose ponytail, grabbing one of the many holders that they had waiting by the toilet for just this purpose. Ziva managed one soft sound of thanks before she leaned forward yet again. Tony gently rubbed her back, wishing that he could do more to help Ziva. Although he knew that morning sickness was a normal part of pregnancy, and that most women went through it, it pained him to see his "crazy ninja chick" so badly weakened this way.

Several minutes later, Ziva was finally able to lean back from the toilet bowl and wipe her face with some toilet paper. She pulled the lever to flush, and then leaned back, utterly exhausted, into Tony's warm body.

"Dammit." She hissed. Tony sat with Ziva leaning against him for several minutes, and then he carefully sat her down on the closed toilet lid, grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and handed it to her. As Ziva took slow sips of water, Tony pulled out her toothbrush, grabbed a tube of toothpaste, and after squeezing a small amount onto the bristles, handed it over to Ziva, who made a face.

"Take it, Love." Tony said softly. "You know the acid will destroy your enamel if you don't." Ziva sighed, but relented. As she brushed her teeth, Tony left the bathroom to take care of the still- whining Engel. When Tony returned to the bathroom, Ziva had already undressed and was stepping into the shower. Tony grinned, undressed, and followed her in. The shared shower had been something the two had done ever since their honeymoon- it was an experience that brought them closer together. Tony lathered his hands, and then gently applied the suds to Ziva's scarred back, massaging as he washed. Soothed by his rubbing, Ziva leaned into Tony's hands and made her special contented sound, one that was a cross between a sigh, a purr and a moan. For a few minutes neither person spoke, enjoying the intimate closeness. Ziva was the first to break the silence.

"Tony?"

"Yes, Sweetcheeks?"

"Since it is the weekend, I would like to visit some open houses today in Bethesda. I know that we have not talked much about a house, but my lease is going to end in three months, and with a baby coming…"

"You want to get a house." Tony finished. He grinned. "I'm sure you've already found several, right? But yeah, I'm fine with the idea. We'll take Engel along with us in the car. It's supposed to be cool today, so he should be fine." Although he and Ziva hadn't actually visited any potential homes, Ziva had been scouring through housing listings ever since they had moved in together. Of course, at the time, her apartment had been big enough for the two of them, and they couldn't afford to buy a house yet. But ever since that fateful day in Vance's office, and the release of Eli David's money, Tony knew that it would only be a matter of time before they would start to seriously look at houses. And knowing Ziva, she already had one in mind.

"I do have a few picked out, Tony." Even though Ziva's back was turned to Tony, he could clearly hear the excitement in her voice, and he couldn't help but to feel a little excited as well. The couple quickly finished their shower, dried off, and dressed. As Tony was pulling a T-shirt over his head, he suddenly noticed that Ziva was standing perfectly still and was staring at her belly.

"Zi? Are you okay?" he said, concerned. Ziva spun around and Tony was startled to see tears forming in her eyes.

"Tony, look!" she whispered excitedly. "I am starting to show!" Ziva turned sideways, and Tony's eyes widened in amazement as he saw the small, yet definite bump protruding from Ziva's midriff. He gently placed his hand on Ziva's stomach and smiled at her. Kneeling down, he placed his mouth near the bump.

"Hey there. It's your daddy." Even though Tony knew that the baby couldn't hear yet, he felt like talking to him or her was the right thing to do. Looking up, he saw tears of joy running down from Ziva's sparkling eyes. Tony stood up and took his wife's hand.

"Let's eat, Zi. We've got a big day ahead of us!"

…..

Three hours later any remains of Tony's earlier happiness and enthusiasm had been torn apart by frustration and exhaustion. He and Ziva had already been through five houses, and none of them were right. Now they were heading off to yet another house, this one near the Potomac River, and Tony was very tempted to turn his Mustang around and head home. He and Ziva had gotten into a fight, spurred by her hormones- he wanted to get some coffee and drink it in the car, but she had refused to let him, saying that the smell made her sick. Ziva had won out in the end, mostly because she had threatened bodily harm if he hadn't listened to her, but now neither was talking to the other person. The silence stretched out uncomfortably between them. Only Engel, sitting in the back seat, looked happy.

Finally, Tony pulled his Mustang into the long driveway of the house they were visiting. As they cruised down the driveway, Tony marveled at the beauty of the place. Even though they were in a suburban area, the house was placed far away from the neighboring residences, and it was set in a wooded area that offered privacy and beauty. Tony could feel himself relaxing.

When they reached the house, both Tony and Ziva gasped. The house was a two-story masterpiece, a mix of modern and rustic. The exterior of the house sported huge picture windows, an L-shaped porch that wrapped partially around the right side of the house, a spacious-looking three-car garage, and a beautiful green lawn (which clearly held Engel's undivided attention). Tony looked wonderingly at Ziva, all traces of his earlier bad mood gone.

"I don't know about you, Zi, but this might just be the place we've been looking for." he whispered. Ziva , clearly awe-struck as well, gave a small smile.

"I think we should go inside first before we decide, yes?" Ziva responded. Tony chuckled, got out of the car, and grasped his wife's hand as the two headed towards the house.

…..

Several hours later Tony, who was reclining in the sofa, slid his arm around Ziva's shoulder and began to rub it gently. She snuggled closer to him and snagged a piece of popcorn from the bowl between them, swatting away Engel's curious nose as he tried to snatch a piece of popcorn for himself. They were watching  _Casablanca_ , but neither of their minds were on the classic movie- they were far too preoccupied by the house they had visited.

The house had truly been a house of dreams, both on the inside as well as the outside. When they had gone inside, Tony and Ziva had been completely dazzled. The house's exterior mix of modern and rustic had continued to the interior. The large picture windows lit up the house, making it warm and cheerful, and eliminating the need for lights during the day. The house, spacious and comfy at the same time, had a beautiful second-story balcony overlooking both the family room and the entry way, and a year-round screened in deck. But both Ziva's and Tony's favorite thing was a small, cozy loft area where the balcony met the roof, providing a private area with a window that overlooked the Potomac River. Ziva had already made plans to put a small couch and some shelves there to make it a reading area.

All-in-all, the couple had found the house perfect for them. Within a month they had planned to sign the escrow papers to make it officially theirs. Tony smiled as he hugged Ziva closer to him. He was married to a wonderful woman, he was going to become a father, had a great dog, and was about to own the house of his dreams.

What could make life any better?


	27. How Many?

Ziva was nervous. She was now three months pregnant, and the small bump that she had discovered two months ago was growing steadily each day. But that was not the reason for her nervousness. No, something more important than that was happening today. Today she was going to have her first ultrasound- today would be the first time she would see her baby! Ziva was sitting alone in the bullpen, as the rest of the team had left to investigate the death of a Navy Seal, and she was having a difficult time concentrating on her paperwork. Nagging thoughts kept running through her head.  _Will everything be alright? Is my baby healthy? What if he or she isn't?_

Ziva couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't getting anything done because of her distracting thoughts, and she really didn't want to stay in the bullpen anymore. There were still 45 minutes until she had to leave for her appointment, so she grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, wrote a short note, and then grabbed her cell phone and headed off to Abby's lab.

As soon as Ziva entered the quirky forensic scientist's lab, she covered her ears as waves of music blasted at her. Frantic barking filled the air as Engel threw himself at his human, scrabbling at Ziva's legs with his front paws, tail lashing madly. Ziva reached down awkwardly to scratch the wiggling mass of fur, and then straightened up only to be crushed by Abby as the Goth grasped her in a tight hug. When Abby finally released Ziva, she clapped her hands with glee.

"Today's the big day, right Ziva?" When Ziva nodded, still trying to regain her breath, Abby squealed. "Yay! Yay! Yay! Can I say hi?" Ever since Ziva had began to show, Abby had loved to talk to the baby inside her womb. Once again Abby knelt down and began to speak to Ziva's stomach in her happy voice.

"Hey there little guy, or girl! Guess what? We get to find out what you are today, isn't that great! You're soooo lucky to have Ziva as a mom, you know that? You should tell her that, though, she worries too much. Anyway, you be good for the technician, okay? We all want to get a good look at you!" As Abby stood back up, Ziva glared at her.

"I do NOT worry too much! I just want my baby to be healthy and safe that is all!" she growled. Abby merely rolled her eyes and grabbed something from her refrigerator.

"You do too worry too much Ziva! You're worrying right now, I can see it on your face! Just relax, you and the baby are going to be  _fine_. Both you and Tony are strong and healthy, so your baby's going to be doubly healthy! Here, drink this." Abby handed a juice box over to Ziva.

"What is this?" Ziva asked.

"It's Sky-Hi C. It's got tons of sugar in it- that should get your baby moving around. My friend's brother is an ultrasound tech and he told me that eating or drinking sugar before your ultrasound helps get the baby moving around which helps the doctor determine the gender." Ziva didn't look totally convinced, but she drank the sugary juice anyway. The rest of the time was spent chatting with Abby, and before she knew it, Tony had entered the lab, telling her it was time to go.

Inside Tony's Mustang, Ziva sat quietly, staring at the scenery as it flew past her window. Tony had tried to make conversation with her earlier, but Ziva had only responded in monosyllabic answers, and he had finally given up, turning the radio on instead.

The Mustang's tires crunched on the parking lot asphalt as Tony pulled into a spot in front of the Bethesda medical clinic. Ziva got out of the car quickly, and was heading towards the clinic when Tony gently grabbed her upper arm. Ziva turned around and Tony gently drew her close, wrapping one arm around her waist and brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face with the other.

"Zi," he said softly. Ziva looked into Tony's loving green eyes. Tony leaned forward and rested his forehead on hers. "Everything is going to be fine. Be happy- we're going to see our baby,  _our baby_ , Ziva! Remember, I'm always here for you no matter what." A stray tear trickled down Ziva's cheek as she reached up to kiss Tony.

"Thank-you, Ahava." she whispered. Grasping Tony's hand, she leaned into him as the two walked into the clinic.

A few minutes later Ziva and Tony, having already signed in, were sitting in the clinic's waiting room. Ziva's earlier confidence had shattered as they waited, and she snuggled close to Tony, nervously waiting for her name to be called. The minutes ticked slowly by. Finally the three important words rang out.

"Ziva David-DiNozzo?"

Ziva took a deep breath, stood up, and went over to the smiling nurse. Tony squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"If you'll just follow me." The nurse led them through a hallway and into the ultrasound room where a technician and Ziva's obstetrician, Dr. Sarah Phillips, were already waiting. Dr. Phillips, a white-haired, round-faced doctor smiled at Ziva as she got onto the waiting bed. Tony sat in a chair next to Ziva.

"Hello Ziva. How are you doing today?" Dr. Phillips asked when the two were situated.

"Nervous." Ziva responded with a small chuckle.

"Trust me, you're not the first. However, you shouldn't worry, you've been taking excellent care of yourself. Now, I just have a few questions for you…" Dr. Phillips quickly read through a list of questions, filling out Ziva's chart, and then handed the clipboard over to the waiting nurse. The doctor then pulled on a pair of gloves, turning back to Ziva. Meanwhile the tech turned on the monitor and began adjusting the machine.

"Alright Ziva, we're all ready to go. If you can just pull up your shirt, then I'll be able to put the gel on." Ziva pulled her shirt back, revealing her rounded belly.

"My, you've certainly grown since I've last seen you!" Dr. Phillips said cheerfully as she spread the gel over Ziva's stomach. Ziva flinched slightly at the sudden coolness, but relaxed when Tony rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. Dr. Phillips then pulled the wand out and carefully pressed it into Ziva's stomach, and a fuzzy grey image appeared on the monitor. As the technician adjusted the controls, the doctor moved the wand around until suddenly a few white shapes appeared on the screen. Dr. Phillips stopped the wand and peered closely at the shapes.

"Is that what I think it is?" she whispered. Ignoring Tony and Ziva's frightened looks, she spoke quietly to the nurse, who quickly left the room. Minutes later the nurse returned, this time followed by another doctor whose nametag read "Rawsons". Dr. Phillips spoke quietly to Dr. Rawsons for a moment, pointing several things out on the monitor. Dr. Rawsons nodded. Dr. Phillips then turned back to Tony and Ziva, a huge smile on her face.

"Well, Ziva, it looks like we have the answer to why you've been growing so fast!" As Dr. Rawsons held the wand steady on Ziva's stomach, Dr. Phillips circled three areas on the screen.

"You're carrying triplets!"


	28. Three's a Crowd

The first thing that ran through Tony's head when he heard that Ziva was carrying triplets was  ** _Three_** _mini ninjas? How am I supposed to survive?_

The second was  _DiNozzo, you idiot, what's wrong with you? You know that just means there's more to love._

The third was  _Oh dear God; please don't let **all** of them be girls!_

Tony then glanced over at his wife, whose face was showing apprehension, and that was when he realized that she was worried about how he felt about the triplets. He grinned happily.

"See Ziva, with me, it's a three-for-one deal: one night, three bab… OW!" Tony yelped as Ziva landed a hard punch on his shoulder. Massaging what he knew would eventually be a bruise, Tony smiled in Ziva's direction.

"Okay, I deserved that one. In all seriousness, this is great, Zi." Tony smoothed down Ziva's hair, planting a small kiss on her forehead, and he swore he heard her mutter "Men!" Chuckling quietly, Tony looked back at a smiling Dr. Phillips, who had probably seen all of this before.

"Would you like to know the sex of your babies?" she asked. Tony glanced at Ziva, who raised an eyebrow at him. He gave a slight nod, at the same time that she did. Ziva then turned back to Dr. Phillips.

"Yes please." Ziva's voice was remarkably calm, despite the fact that they were about to witness something that would change their lives.

"Alright then." Dr. Phillips moved the wand to a spot on the upper portion of Ziva's belly. Suddenly the outline of a fetus showed on the screen, and Ziva gasped as Tony smiled. The fetus was lying peacefully on its back, one hand resting on its tiny belly, as if it had no cares in the world, the other hand waving lazily at the moniter. Tony could see its little heart beating, and his own heart filled with love.

"As far as Dr. Rawsons and I can tell, two of the triplets are identical and one is fraternal. This guy here is your fraternal triplet. Say hello to your son!" Ziva made a soft sound as Tony squeezed her hand. A son! The warm feeling Tony had gotten in his heart spread throughout his entire body.

"Hey bud." he whispered. Looking at Ziva, he could see tears gathering in her eyes. Dr. Phillips chose this time to adjust the wand so that it was resting more to the middle of Ziva's stomach, and another fetus appeared. Instead of lying calmly, as their son had, this baby was fidgeting and shaking its fist rapidly at the screen, seemingly furious at the intrusion. Tony and Ziva laughed along with Dr. Phillips.

"That's definitely your child, Zi!" Tony said in between bouts of laughter. Ziva rolled her eyes, but her smile would not be erased from her face.

"This little fighter here is one of the identical triplets. This is your first daughter." Dr. Phillips said. Tony grinned.  _Definitely_  a mini ninja.  _Wait…_ he thought suddenly.

"Dr. Phillips, did you say this is our  _first_ daughter?"

Dr. Phillips nodded and out of the corner of his eye Tony saw Ziva pinch the end of his nose, a sure sign that she was hiding a laugh. Dr. Phillips adjusted the wand a third and final time, this time to the lower side of Ziva's belly and the final triplet appeared on the screen, this one kicking at the surrounding fluid.

"This is your second daughter and the second of the identical triplets. Because identical multiples have the same gender, I knew when I saw your first daughter that this fetus would be a girl." As Tony sat watching his daughter's heart beat, he felt tears well up in his eyes. Three children! How could his heart possibly hold so much love for all of them? When he caught sight of Ziva, he froze. She was staring at the monitor, tears flowing freely down her face.

"Zi?" Tony whispered. She turned to look at him, and that's when he saw her smile- warm as a summer day, gentle as the spring breeze- the face of a mother.

"Two daughters and a son, Tony. Isn't that wonderful?" she breathed. Tony could only squeeze her hand in response. Suddenly a worried look came into Ziva's eyes, and she turned back to Dr. Phillips.

"Are they all healthy?" she asked, unable to keep the fear out of her voice.

"Don't worry Ziva, all three babies are perfectly fine. I noticed no deformities or genetic conditions that can harm your babies, and you do not have any previous risks that we would need to test for. Now, obliviously having multiple babies in and by itself can be a risk, and we you will need to have regular checkups to make sure that all three babies are healthy, but you are a strong and healthy woman, and I do not foresee any major issues." Dr. Phillips took a quick breath, and then continued.

"However, I do want you to know that it is likely you will not be able to carry these babies full term, Ziva, and that is simply because you are a smaller woman and the fetuses will most likely run out of room before the fortieth week, so they will need to be born to continue to grow further."

"Also, it is unlikely that you will be able to have a vaginal birth and instead will have to have a C-section. The decision is entirely up to you, and it is possible to give birth to all three without surgery, but as your doctor, I would recommend that you chose to have a C-section, whether it be planned or one that happens the day you give birth." Ziva nodded, but Tony knew from the look on her face that she didn't really agree with what Dr. Phillips was saying. Before he could say anything, however, Dr. Phillips spoke once again.

"Would you like to have pictures of the babies?"

Tony and Ziva both nodded empathetically. Dr. Phillips maneuvered the wand and got still shots of all three babies, and then went to get the prints. Meanwhile the technician gave Ziva some paper towels to wipe the gel off of her stomach. Dr. Phillips soon returned with the pictures, and as Ziva looked them over, Tony saw the gentle, motherly look return.

"Three babies- Abby's going to have a field day." Tony groaned.

Back at the Navy Yard, the elevator doors 'dinged' open, and Tony and Ziva walked into the deceptively quiet bullpen- Gibbs and McGee were nowhere to be seen. Half a second later Tony was nearly bowled over by a pig-tailed tornado.

"You're baccccccccccccccccccccccck!" Abby squealed as she squeezed Tony, who was gasping for air. Releasing him, she bounced up and down in front of Ziva, thankfully not hugging her as well.

"Well!" she yelped. Instead of speaking, Ziva simply handed over the three photographs, causing Abby to grin as she shifted through them. Suddenly her head snapped up.

"Hey, is the baby a boy or girl?" she asked. Tony grinned, and, coming up behind his wife, pointed to the upper portion of her round belly.

"Boy." he said. Abby opened her mouth, but stopped in surprise when Tony continued to point to the middle of Ziva's stomach. "Girl." And then to the lower portion of her stomach. "And girl."

For a minute Abby stood there staring at the couple, mouth hanging open. Then, without warning she grabbed both Tony and Ziva's arms and marched them into the elevator, punching the button to get them to the basement. A few seconds later the elevator doors opened and Abby marched the confused couple into autopsy.

"DUUUUUUUUUUUCKY!" she roared. Jimmy, who was putting away some instruments with his back to the door, jumped and banged his head on an overhead light.

"What is it Abigail?" Ducky closed a body drawer and peered quizzically at the bouncing Goth, who was now pointing rapidly at Ziva.

"TRIPLETS!" she cheered. "Ziva's having TRIPLETS!"

For a full minute the Scottish ME simply stared at Ziva, and then a warm smile crossed his lined face. He walked up to Ziva, gave her a kiss on each cheek, and then rested his hands on her shoulders, eyes warm.

"Congratulations my dear! And you too, Anthony!" he said. Abby, who had stopped bouncing, was looking around the room.

"Hey Duck-man, have you seen Gibbs? He's got to know the news!" Ducky shook his head.

"Yeah, where are they?" Tony echoed. "I didn't see Probie or the boss when we were upstairs."

"That's because we're actually  _working_ on the case, DiNozzo." Tony and Ziva spun around to see Gibbs standing behind them, along with McGee.

"Well?" he growled, looking pointedly at Ziva's rotund belly.

"I am going to have triplets Gibbs." Ziva said softly. McGee's eyes widened in surprise, but Gibbs merely nodded. "Two girls and a boy. Would you be willing to act as their grandfather, Gibbs?" Ziva continued. One of Gibb's rare smiles crossed his face, and he leaned forward to give Ziva a small kiss on the forehead.

"I would be honored." he said quietly. Ziva smiled happily. Gibbs turned and smacked Tony on the back of the head.

"OW!" Tony yelped. "I wasn't doing anything Boss! What was that for?"

"Getting Ziva pregnant with triplets.  **You're** going to have to deal with her when they come."


	29. All is Not Well

"GEAR UP! We've got a dead Marine downtown!"

Gibb's familiar call rang throughout the bullpen, causing the entire team, except for Ziva, to reach for their bags. Ziva merely glanced up from her computer and frowned- now five months pregnant, she no longer had to fight the urge to reach for her non-existent gear- she had long since learned that there was no point in doing so. She was stuck in headquarters until the babies were born, a fact that frustrated her to no end. While she was concerned for the health and safety of her babies, a part of her always longed for the action of field work.

Sighing heavily, Ziva returned her gaze back to her computer and continued to slog through the ever-growing stack of paperwork. Suddenly she felt a warm hand rest on her shoulder and looked up to see Tony's green eyes gazing down at her. He leaned over.

"Hey, I really miss having you around, Zi." he said sympathetically, rubbing her shoulder. Suddenly, a mischievous gleam sparked in his eyes and he put his mouth closer to her ear. "Maybe I can make it up to you later tonight; how does that sound my sexy little- Gibbs is right behind me, isn't he?" Ziva, who had started to grin when she saw the older agent approach, chuckled softly when Gibbs promptly smacked Tony on the back of the head, causing Tony to give his characteristic yelp.

"Keep it out of the office or you're out of the job DiNozzo. Now let's go!" Without waiting for a reply, Gibbs gave Ziva a quick nod and then started off to the elevator where McGee was already waiting.

"On your six, Boss!" Tony gave Ziva's shoulder one last affectionate squeeze, and then hurried after his teammates, barely making it into the elevator before the doors slid shut.

Ziva, smiling at Tony's antics, turned back to her desk. Her smile quickly faded when she saw the stack of paperwork waiting for her.

_Here we go again_ she thought with an inward groan. Heaving a sigh, Ziva opened yet another file and began to type.

…..

As Tony and McGee were pulling their gear from the NCIS truck, Tim turned to the senior agent.

"You know," he began, "I could really get used to this."

"Get used to what, Probie?" Tony grunted as he heaved his heavy backpack onto his shoulder and slammed the back doors shut.

"You know… not having Ziva drive. It's kind of nice not to have to go through the trip wondering every five seconds if I'm going to make it out alive… Not that I don't miss Ziva!" Tim said quickly, catching Tony's dirty look.

"You'd better be more careful about how you talk about my wife, McGoo, or I'm going to lock you in a room with her next time she's feeling hormonal." Tim gulped and Tony smiled. "Speaking of Ziva, both she and I were wondering if you would be willing to be the babies' godfather." McGee rolled his eyes, but Tony could see a small smile forming on his face.

"Wow, great transition there, DiNozzo." Tony glared at Tim, who replied with a shrug. "But yes, I'd be more than willing to be their godfather. Just curious, who are you thinking for their godmother?" McGee asked.

"Abby, of course. Who else would we choose? She practically made Ziva swear to have her as their godmother." Tim grinned at that. Just then Gibb's voice rang out.

"Are you two planning on standing there all day, or are you actually going to do your jobs?"

Tony and Tim jogged over to where Gibbs was standing next to the dead Marine. The Marine, wearing a sweat-soaked T-shirt with the words "US Marine Corps" on it, was draped over a chain-link fence, and two construction workers stood nervously nearby- clearly, they had been the ones to who had found the body. As Tony approached the body, he narrowed his eyes. He felt like he had seen this man's face before, but where? Before he could think about it anymore, Gibbs spoke again.

"About time you two got here." he growled. "DiNozzo, take pictures. McGee, use that fingerprint scanner of yours and see if you can get a name, the local LEOs couldn't find an ID. When you're done, take statements. What've we got, Duck?" Gibbs finished, turning to the ME as he and Jimmy rolled the gurney up.

"Well Jethro, it looks like this man did not spend his last moments in peace. Based on the sweat stains, he may have been exercising, or he may have been running away from an attacker. I will have to take him down before I can take his liver temperature, so when you are done with the orientation photographs, please let me know Anthony." Ducky replied.

"Just a few more, Ducky." Tony said. He snapped the last of the needed photos, and then helped Ducky and Jimmy lift the body off the fence and onto the waiting gurney, where Ducky inserted the liver probe and read the temperature.

"According to the probe, the time of death was about six hours ago." Ducky removed the probe and began to search the body for wounds. "Although I will need to confirm it at autopsy, from the lack of obvious wounds, and the position of his head and neck, I will say that this man's cause of death was a broken neck. Whether it was accidental or a murder, we will have to see. Did Timothy get this man's name?"

Tim nodded. "Yeah, it's Corporal Brenton Cors."

Tony stiffened when he heard the name. Suddenly he knew why the Marine looked so familiar. Corporal Cors had been on their flight to Tel Aviv when Ziva had gone to talk to her father. Gibbs, noticing Tony's tense expression, motioned the senior agent over.

"Do you recognize this guy, DiNozzo?" Gibbs hooked a thumb towards Cors' body. Tony gave a curt nod in response.

"Yeah Boss, he was one of the Marines on our protection detail to Tel Aviv. He made the plastic bag joke to Ziva and she almost bit his head off, remember?" Gibbs merely grunted in response and turned back to the body. Ducky, who had been placing the Corporal's body in the body bag, stopped suddenly.

"Hello, hello, what do we have here?" The Scotsman cheerfully pulled something out of the Marine's waistband, but then his happy look quickly vanished.

"Jethro, come look at this." Gibbs, Tony and Tim quickly went over to Ducky, who held up the object, revealing it to be a videotape. At first Tony was confused. How could a simple tape be any threat to them? Then Ducky moved the tape closer to them and Tony's gut twisted painfully when he saw the typed note that was taped onto it.

"Dear NCIS" the note started.

"Since you were so keen to accept Ziva back into your organization, perhaps you will change your mind about her when you see this. It would be very unwise of you not to watch it."

Gibbs looked back at Tony, whose hands were balled into fists.

"Rule 39, Boss." Tony growled through gritted teeth.

"There is no such thing as coincidence."


	30. The Tape

After the discovery of the videotape, the NCIS team lost no time in finishing the crime scene. Once everything was processed and packed up, Tony took the wheel of the truck and sped back to base, putting Ziva's driving to shame in his haste.

Once they were all back in the Navy Yard, Tony rushed to the elevator, nearly leaving Gibbs and McGee behind. When the elevator doors opened to reveal the main level, Tony frantically scanned the bullpen, only relaxing when he saw Ziva sleeping peacefully at her desk. Taking a few deep, calming breaths, Tony walked over to his wife and rested a hand on her shoulder. Ziva's head immediately shot up, alarm spreading across her face.

"Zi, it's just me." Tony murmured soothingly. Ziva quickly relaxed and flashed Tony an embarrassed smile, resting her hand on his.

"You are back early, Ahava. Was it a quick case?" she asked. Tony panicked for a moment, wondering how he could answer this question, but was thankfully interrupted by Gibbs.

"DiNozzo, Ziva, come with me." Gibbs swept past the couple, holding the tape, and Tony tensed up again. Ziva gave her husband a questioning look, but he just grasped her hand and motioned for her to follow Gibbs. The two went up the stairs and into MTAC. The room was empty except for McGee and Director Vance. As Ziva walked in, Director Vance turned to her.

"Agent David, your teammates found this videotape at the crime scene today. It had a note attached that mentioned you. Do you have any idea what it contains?" Ziva shook her head in response, confusion still evident on her face.

"Very well." Director Vance nodded to McGee, who inserted the tape. After a few seconds of snow, the film began.

…..

_The tape started by showing a darkened, desolate room made of crude mud bricks. The only light came from an unseen window that produced a weak, dusty beam that lit the only piece of furniture in the room- a rough wooden chair that was currently unoccupied._

_The low sound of voices filled the air- indistinct, yet harsh. The voices grew louder and louder as the speakers drew closer until it was apparent that they were speaking Arabic. Suddenly there was the sound of a heavy bolt being pushed, and then the sound of an equally heavy door being opened. Four figures came into view- three men and one prisoner whose gender was unidentifiable due to the sack-like clothing the person wore, and the hood that covered the person's head. Two of the men, clearly guards, roughly shoved the prisoner into the chair, and then bound the person's hands and feet, standing off to the side when the job was done. The third man, the leader, who had kept to the shadows before now, pulled something out and flicked it open. A flame appeared, revealing the man's face._

_Saleem Ulman._

_Saleem lit a cigarette he had been holding and took a long drag. He then blew a stream of smoke towards the prisoner, causing the person to tremble violently. A cruel smile spread slowly across the Somalian's face, and after clamping the cigarette firmly between his teeth, he walked forward and placed both hands on the prisoner's shoulders, causing the person to stiffen. He laughed harshly, and then grabbed the hood and yanked if off, revealing the prisoner's identity._

_This Ziva, however, was not the Ziva most people knew. The normally strong, sure and feisty woman had an air of complete defeat around her, and she was physically in bad shape. One of her eyes was swollen shut from repeated beatings, her lip and nose both were covered in dried blood, and whatever skin on her face that wasn't already cut or bruised was extremely red- evidence that she had been slapped, and often. Her hair was disheveled, full of dirt and blood. It was the look in her one good eye that was the most horrifying. Gone was the spark that normally resided in that chocolate depth, the sign of a powerful woman who was not afraid. Instead, the spark had been replaced by a dull look of pain and fear._

_Saleem turned to the guards and uttered a command in Arabic. One of the guards came forward and ripped the rough clothing off of Ziva, revealing her naked body to the camera. Her once beautiful skin was now a mass of bruises and lacerations, and Ziva whimpered in pain as the removal of the rough material re-opened several wounds, causing fresh blood to run down her sides. Saleem, who had been watching this all with a sadistic look, now faced Ziva and spoke in English._

" _You are a very hard woman to break, Miss David. Do you know why we are making this video? It is for your father, Director David. Won't that be such a nice surprise when he sees how you have failed his mission? You were supposed to have killed me, and instead you get captured. Say hello to your father Ziva." When Ziva didn't respond to Saleem's jeering, he slapped her, causing her split lip to open and a trail of blood to trickle down her chin. Saleem then began to circle Ziva like a predator closing in for the kill._

" _Why do you not talk, Ziva?" Saleem reached forward and grabbed one of Ziva's dirty curls, twisting it around his finger, causing her to flinch. When she didn't respond, he yanked it out, causing her grunt. Still, she did not speak._

" _You know it would be much easier for you if you did. Tell me everything that you know about NCIS, and I can end your pain. There would be no more torture, no more agony. Just pure, painless bliss. Why do you continue to resist? No one is coming for you. Mossad has abandoned you. NCIS has abandoned you. No one cares about you. What reason is there to continue to protect them? Just talk, and your pain is gone." Ziva's good eye filled with tears, but she shook her head firmly and croaked out one word._

" _Never."_

_Saleem's face contorted with rage, and he stood back, snapping out an order in Arabic to the guards. One of the guards strode forward, uncoiling a length of electrical cord, a predator's grin plastered across his face. He pulled back his arm, and then snapped the cord hissing forward. There was a sickening "thwack" as cord met flesh, and Ziva's head flew back as she uttered a blood-curtling scream. The guard pulled his arm back yet again, and again let fly with the cord, producing another piercing scream._

_The guard whipped Ziva three times, four times, five times, each time causing her to shriek with agony. When he pulled his arm back a sixth time, Saleem finally raised his hand, and the guard let the cord fall limply to his side and then coiled it up again. Saleem walked over to the camera, picked it up, and walked around the chair so that the camera was showing Ziva's back._

_It was a horrifying sight. Ziva's back was raw and red, criss-crossed with numerous lash marks, many of which had become badly infected. The newest marks lay open and bleeding, the torn flesh barely visible against the rest of her ravaged back._

_After a few seconds Saleem replaced the camera and removed the cigarette from his mouth._

" _Will you talk now, Ziva?"_

_Ziva didn't respond and Saleem sighed. He took the cigarette stub between two fingers and pressed it deep into her skin. The hiss of burning flesh was quickly drowned out by an agonized scream that made the previous ones seem weak in comparison. Saleem held the stub against her skin for a few more seconds, and then tossed it away, leaning in closer to the shaking Ziva, grabbing her hair and forcing her head back._

" _Now Zivaleh, talk." he growled._

_Ziva, clearly still in a great deal of pain, struggled to focus on Saleem's face._

" _Lo*" she hissed._

_Saleem's eyes flashed dangerously. "Very well." he growled. Turning back to the camera, he snarled, "I hope you enjoy this, Director David." Saleem turned to his guards and spat out one final command, to which they responded with evil delight. Ziva's one good eye widened in fear, and she began to desperately plead with her captors._

" _Please, no, don't!" Ziva's eye filled with tears as her cries fell on deaf ears and the guards untied her, forcing her to lie on the dirty floor. Her screams began to fill the air as one of the guards pinned her down and the other pulled down his pants…_

"Turn it OFF!" Tony shot out of his seat, rage in every line of his body, and McGee needed no further prompting. The junior agent quickly killed the tape, pulling out and throwing it away from him as if it were a contaminated thing, disgust and horror written all over his face. Tony heaved a breath, slightly surprised that he had been able to last that long without pulling the tape out himself. His knuckles were still white from where he had gripped his chair, and his eyes blazed in fury. Even though the tape was out, Ziva's tortured screams still filled Tony's ears, echoing in his head. He turned to speak to his wife, intent on comforting her, but stopped dead.

Ziva was gone.


	31. Captured

Rain fell heavily over the Washington D.C. area, causing most of the people on the streets and sidewalks to run for cover. Ziva, however, did seek shelter, but rather ran blindly through the downpour, raindrops mingling with the tears that streamed down her face. She had managed to leave the MTAC room just before the rape scene had started on the tape, and she was now making her way downtown. She had no real path in mind; her only thought was to get as far away as possible from the NCIS headquarters.

However, carrying three babies did not make running an easy task, and Ziva soon found herself out of energy and breath. She quickly scanned the area, and finding an empty and shadowed alcove, ducked under it, breathing heavily as she leaned against the brick wall behind her. She then tilted her head back and opened her mouth in a silent scream, tears flowing freely as all of the emotions that she had buried from her four months of torture came clawing back up to her heart, making her feel raw and exposed.

As the pain of the emotions smothered her, she realized that the greatest agony was not the memory of the beatings, nor even the memory of the rape. No, the one thought that throbbed painfully clear with every heartbeat was the knowledge that she had  _lied_ to Tony. Instead of telling him about the rape, she had remained deceitfully silent and allowed her beloved to believe that he had married a whole woman, not the broken one that she truly was.

As Ziva began to recover her breath, she realized that she needed to leave. She couldn't face Tony again, which meant that she couldn't return to their house for anything, nor could she go to any team member's house, as Tony would look there as well, and she didn't want to face her team anyway- she felt as if she had betrayed them as well. That left only one other option, the one she hated the most- to go to the Israeli Embassy and get help from Mossad. She would leave the country with Mossad's help and return to her homeland to raise the babies on her own. Although it broke her heart to know that she would never see Tony again, in her mind it was for the best.

Gathering her strength, Ziva stepped away from the alcove and onto the sidewalk. She had barely made five steps before someone grabbed her roughly from behind and slipped a hood over her head. Ziva screamed and struck out blindly, but suddenly something struck the back of her skull and her world went completely blank.

…..

To say Ziva woke up would be wrong. Rather, it felt to her as if her mind was being roughly dragged back into awareness by the iron claws of a pain that radiated from her head and throbbed down the rest of her body. For a few minutes she could only lay where she was with her eyes closed until the pain was manageable, and then she was finally able to open her eyes. The first thing she saw was that she was in some sort of dark cell, a dusty one made of brick, the only light come from a barred window high above the ground, and a heavy door opposite the window. The second thing that she saw was a concerned pair of green eyes, and she started in surprise.

As the rest of Tony's face came into focus, Ziva saw just how bad of shape he was in. Tony's left eye was blackened, his lip was swollen, and his nose seemed to be broken. But despite all of that, Ziva could see that all Tony was concerned about was her well-being.

Ziva then realized that her head was lying in her husband's lap and immediately she pulled away, wincing as the movement sent spasms of pain through her head. When she looked back at him, Tony's relieved look had been replaced with a mixture of confusion and pain.

"Zi, what…?"

"You need to stay away from me Tony. I am nothing more than a disease, I do not even deserve to be called your acquaintance." Ziva whispered. Tony's face showed complete shock.

"Ziva, what the  _hell_ are you talking about?"

"I LIED to you Tony! I never told you about the beatings, never told you about the rape, and I let you believe that you were marrying a whole woman, not one who had been broken, who is  _diseased._ I am dirty, damaged goods, a… a whore!" Despite the pain it brought, Ziva fell into racking sobs. Suddenly she felt two warm arms encircle her body as Tony enveloped her in a gentle hug, rocking her slowly back and forth and resting his cheek next to hers. Tony's deep voice fell softly on her ear.

"Ziva, don't you EVER say anything like that again, do you hear me? You are in no way responsible for what those men did to you; you were the victim, and they  _violated_ you. It. was. not. your. fault. And when you said you lied to me, that isn't true! Do you honestly think that I didn't suspect that what had happened on the tape had happened to you well before I saw it? I knew you had probably been sexually abused, but I knew that you wouldn't want to talk about it, and that was fine by me." Tony gently lifted Ziva's chin and gazed deep into her brown eyes.

"Ziva. A long time ago I made a vow to support you no matter what happened back in Somalia, and I stand by that vow today. Do you know who I see every time I look at you? I see a strong, beautiful, whole woman who has honored me by giving me her undying love, which I do not deserve. I see a woman who was able to survive four months of pure hell and still protect the people she loved, and even those she didn't, and come out stronger for it. I see my wonderful wife, five months pregnant with not one, but  _three_ children, and I am wonderfully, madly, wholly in love with her, and I could no more leave her than I could tear out my own heart."

Ziva looked deep into her husband's forest eyes, and she found the strength of his conviction pouring out of them, and in that moment she knew that he had never spoken more truly than he did now. Tears poured anew and she buried her head in his chest as he ran a hand through her hair.

"No matter what happens Zi, I will always be by your side. I love you, with all my heart. Now let's figure out how to get out of this mess." Tony growled.

Before Ziva could respond, the door to their cell slammed open and three armed guards burst in. The first two guards pointed their automatic weapons at the couple, while the third came up and roughly pushed Tony away from Ziva and then cuffed her. Tony bellowed in anger and raised a fist to retaliate, but froze when one of the guards shoved the barrel of his weapon into Ziva's swollen stomach. The guard who had cuffed Ziva now glared at Tony.

"You follow orders, or babies die. Then she die." The guard's broken English was heavily accented with Hebrew, and Ziva felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle with fear for their family. Watching Tony carefully, the guard who had spoken quickly cuffed him and then shoved him in front of Ziva.

"So, who wants the honor of the DiNozzos' presence?" Tony quipped. The guard responded by poking the barrel of his gun into Tony's back and snarling.

"You want wife and children to live, you walk. And  **shut up**." Tony's face was a mask of anger, but he complied with no further objections and the two were marched down a long corridor. The combination of Ziva's head injury and her advanced pregnancy quickly wore her out, and it wasn't long before she stumbled and fell, just barely managing to catch herself with her hands. One of the guards immediately prodded her back up, signaling Tony to remain quiet, and Ziva gathered the remainder of her strength and forced herself onwards until they came to another room. The couple were forced into two waiting chairs, and a figure materialized out of the shadows, causing Tony and Ziva to both gasp in surprise.

Officer Ben-Gidon stood no more than five feet away, a sneer on his face and a naked knife gleaming in his hand.


	32. Fatal Leadership

Tony looked in horror at Malachi Ben-Gidon, or more importantly, the knife that he held menacingly in his hand. Tony took a brief moment to glance over at Ziva and saw that she too looked horrified. Instinctually he moved closer to her to provide some measure of comfort, but was quickly stopped when one of the guards pointed his gun at Ziva's stomach. Tony gave the guard the meanest glare he could make.

"Hey Mal, call off your trained dog. That's my wife he's got a gun on." Tony snarled. Ben-Gidon's sneer widened, but he said something in Hebrew, causing the guard to reluctantly back off. Ben-Gidon said another phrase and the three guards stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them. While Malachi's attention was directed on the guards, Tony wriggled one of his hands into his back pocket, closing it around the small metal object that he had put there earlier. He pushed a button, praying his plan would work as Ben-Gidon turned his attention back to Tony and Ziva.

"Well, well, well," the Mossad officer said. His voice was soft, yet full of malice at the same time. "Isn't this just the happiest family scene? The father-to-be," Malachi flicked his knife towards Tony, "the mother-to-be," the knife's blade flashed at Ziva, "and… ahhhhh, the babies-to-be." Ben-Gidon strode over to Ziva and laid the flat of his blade on her swollen stomach. Ziva jerked backwards, hissing angrily and nearly knocking over her chair. Correcting herself quickly, she glared up at the smirking Kidon leader.

"What do you want Malachi?"

Ben-Gidon's cruel smile widened. "Want? It is not a question of _want_ , Ziva. You are coming back with me to Israel." Ziva's brown eyes narrowed in response.

"Have you learned nothing from either Melek or Eli? I am NOT going back! My place is here, in America with NCIS. I am a naturalized United States citizen, with an American husband, pregnant with his children!" Ziva spat at Ben-Gidon, who slapped her in response, causing her to spit blood.

"Shut up! You are coming back, whether you want to or not! Why would NCIS want you now? After seeing that tape, they will know that you are broken, useless."

"Then why would _Mossad_ want me back?" Ziva snarled.

"Did you not hear me? I did not say that I am going to bring you to Mossad, at least not yet. No, I am going to bring you back to _Israel._ You belong to me, Ziva, not that piece of American filth! Your father may have been an obsessive old fool, but he was right to try to force you back. His plan may have failed, but I will succeed this time." Ben-Gidon grinned when Ziva gasped in shock.

"You mean you…"

"Yes, **I** was behind Eli David's failed abduction plan. You see, I knew that your father would not be in power much longer- Officers Hadar and Bashan would have seen to that. And if he fell, then where would I, his right-hand man, be? I would be shipped off to the nearest prison. So I had to make those two idiots believe that I was faithful to them- not that it was difficult, I hated your father. In fact, I paid the man who shot him. Of course, my plan worked, and Officer Hadar has not paid any attention to me, as he believes that I am faithful to him and to Mossad. This leaves me free to do whatever I wish. And now my wish is to bring you back, where you belong." Malachi lunged forward suddenly, kissing Ziva roughly. Tony roared in anger and slammed into him, pushing him away from Ziva.

"You leave my wife ALONE!" Tony bellowed. Ben-Gidon smashed his fist into Tony's uninjured eye. Breathing heavily, he put his knife against Tony's throat, ignoring Ziva's frantic scream.

"Enough talk" he growled. "I am a generous man. I will give you two a minute to say your goodbyes. When I come back, you will die, Agent DiNozzo. Enjoy your last few minutes." Ben-Gidon drew his knife lightly across Tony's throat, causing a red line to appear and blood to trickle down. He then left, slamming the door behind him.

"Tony." Ziva gasped, her eyes filled with tears.

"Enough, Zi. I told you I'd get out us of this, right? Have you managed to get out of your cuffs yet?" Ziva nodded, showing her freed hand. "Good. Alright, here's the plan. I left with a GPS tracker that Abby gave me. It's got a panic button. Gibbs guessed whoever sent the tape would follow and capture you, so I planned to follow your cell phone. Course, I got captured before then, those goons were waiting for me outside Navy Yard, but Gibbs, McGee, and a team of Marines are on their way. Just trust me, alright? And make it look like you're still cuffed." Tony reached forward and kissed Ziva on the cheek. "Everything will be fine" he whispered.

Just then the door slammed open and Ben-Gidon strode in. "Done? If you are not, that is your fault." The Kidon leader grabbed Tony's hair and forced his head back, placing his knife blade against his throat. "Any last words, DiNozzo? A movie quote, perhaps?" Tony grinned cheekily, cocking his head.

"Duck."

"Wha.." Suddenly the door burst open, and the sharp sound of gunfire filled the air. Ben-Gidon took three bullets to the chest, and toppled over backwards, gasping. Yells echoed, and suddenly the room was filled with camo-dressed Marines. One of them, his face hidden behind field goggles, yelled "Clear!" and the rest of the Marines lowered their weapons and opened a path, letting two familiar figures through.

"Gibbs! McGee!" Ziva called. Gibbs went over to Tony and quickly released him from his handcuffs while McGee helped Ziva up.

"Thanks boss." Tony murmured as he rubbed his sore wrist. Gibbs nodded.

"Ducky's outside. Let's get you two home" he growled.

Tony was about to agree when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning he saw to his horror that Ben-Gidon, still alive but clearly fading, was aiming his gun at Ziva's swollen stomach. Without thinking, Tony dove forward just as Malachi pulled the trigger, and Tony felt a white-hot pain in his lower abdomen. Ziva screamed as Tony collapsed on the ground. There was a sharp report, and through the fog that was starting to cover his eyes, Tony saw Ben-Gidon's body relax, a bullet hole in his head.

Tony was faintly aware of Ziva's hands grasping his, and her voice begging him to hold on. He could feel the warm sticky blood flowing from his wound, and he struggled to focus on his frantic wife.

"Zi… love…you…" Tony's vision went dark, and he knew no more.


	33. Mishpacha

Flashes.

Flashes were all that Ziva could register.

People coming and going, the screams of sirens mingling with her own screams. Gibb's strong arms holding her back, soothing her, keeping her from running after the paramedics as they rushed Tony's limp body into the waiting ambulance, and then sped away.

Gibb's voice sounded in her ear. "Shh, Ziva, shhh. He'll be fine, he's strong. Ducky's going to look you over, and then we'll follow the ambulance. He'll be fine Ziver." Ziva heard the words, but her brain refused to accept them. She allowed Gibbs to lead her over to the waiting Ducky, who gave her a quick examination and pronounced her fine. As soon as Ducky was done, Ziva walked robotically to the Charger and got in, buckling up. Gibbs pushed down the accelerator, and the team sped off to Bethesda Naval Hospital. For Ziva, the trip seemed to take forever, and she had never been happier to see the sign for the hospital when they arrived. As soon as the car was stopped, Ziva got out as fast as her pregnant frame would allow, and wasted no time entering the ER entrance and storming up to the nurse's desk, flashing her badge (which Gibbs had given to her) to the startled nurse behind the desk.

"Special Agent Ziva David-DiNozzo. I am here for the status of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo." she snapped. For a brief moment, despite her swollen belly and throbbing head, Ziva felt once again like her old agent self. The feeling passed as the frightened nurse began to type rapidly.

"I'm sorry Agent David-DiNozzo. Right now Agent DiNozzo is in surgery, so I do not have any information on his condition, other than that he was stable when the paramedics brought him in. If you take a seat, I will have the surgeon come out when the operation is finished," the nurse stammered. Ziva, wanting nothing more than to torture this woman for hours on end, balled her hands into fists to keep herself from lunging at the poor woman. Gibbs, sensing her anger, quickly clasped a restraining hand on the young agent's shoulder and spoke to the nurse from behind her.

"Thank-you ma'am. We'll wait." Ignoring Ziva's protests, Gibbs gently steered her towards the ER's waiting room, McGee following close behind, and sat her down in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. As the hospital smells hit Ziva's nose, she shuddered, causing Gibbs to wrap an arm around her shoulder.

_ This is why I will not have my baby in a hospital _ she thought. _A birthing center, perhaps, but not a place of worry, sickness and death._

Just then Ziva's rambling thoughts were interrupted by a squeal, and a pair of arms embracing her in a crushing hug. Ziva gasped for breath as Abby continued to squeeze her, and then finally the Goth let go, a worried look in her eyes.

"Oh my God, Ziva, it seems like every time I turn around, you or Tony ends up in the hospital! You have to stop doing this to me, or they'll have to put me in an insane asylum!" Catching sight of Ziva's sorry look, Abby took her hands.

"Oh, Ziva, it's not your fault! I just… oh Ziva, he's going to be alright, he has you and the babies to look after!" Abby engulfed the former Israeli in another hug, and this time Ziva sank into her friend's warm embrace, feeling the same as she had when she and the team had returned from Somalia, and Abby had been there to help her heal. After a while the two broke apart, and Abby sat down on Ziva's other side, McGee on Abby's other side and Ducky, who had followed Abby in, sat next to McGee. Abby, who still had one of Ziva's hands in hers, continued to rub the back of Ziva's hand with her thumb, while Gibbs once again placed a fatherly arm around Ziva's shoulder. Despite her fear, Ziva soon dozed off, surrounded by her true family.

…..

" _Ziver. Zivers, wake up."_

Ziva woke up slowly and groggily. The gentle fatherly voice that had woke her up wrapped around her like a warm cocoon, and in her sleepy confusion Ziva forgot where she was and who she was with.

"Papa?" she whispered. Blinking a few times, she cleared her vision and saw that the face in front of her was not her biological father's but rather the kinder face of Gibbs. Ziva felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"I am sorry, Gibbs, I was…" Gibbs waved the apology away.

"Tony's surgeon is here, Ziva," he replied softly. Ziva sat bolt upright and looked into the face of a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair standing in front of her, meeting her brown eyes with his grey ones. She, along with the rest of the team, rose to greet him, and the doctor extended his hand, a tired smile on his lined face.

"Are you Agent David-DiNozzo, Agent DiNozzo's wife?" he asked, mispronouncing her maiden name.

"Da-veed- DiNozzo," Ziva corrected, "and yes, I am."

The doctor gave a small nod in Ziva's direction. "My apologies, Agent David-DiNozzo. I am Dr. Henry Blake, your husband's surgeon, and I am very pleased to inform you that his surgery went extremely well. Although the bullet caused a great deal of bleeding and some muscle damage, it missed all of Agent DiNozzo's vital organs, and he should recover quickly. He is awake right now, and has been asking for you. If you will follow me, I can bring you to his room." Dr. Blake cast a quick glance at the rest of the team. "I can let all of you in for a short visit, no more than 10 minutes, but after than I'm afraid only Agent David-DiNozzo can stay overnight." The rest of the team nodded as one, and followed Dr. Blake through the hospital. The surgeon led the team past room after room until they finally came upon Tony's room. Ziva was the first to enter.

Tony was propped up in his hospital bed, eyes closed. He was very pale, there were dark circles under his eyes, and numerous tubes led up to his battered body. As soon as Ziva stepped into the room, however, Tony's eyes snapped open, and she saw the usual gleam in them that greeted her whenever she saw him, and his 100-watt smile crossed his face.

"Zi," he whispered. As she beheld her husband, emotion took complete control over Ziva and to her surprise, she found herself sobbing hysterically as she rushed to Tony's bedside.

"Tony… how could you… do this… to me… to our babies?" she gasped in between sobs. Tony carefully lifted his large hand and rested it on Ziva's cheek, rubbing the skin with his thumb. Ziva grasped his hand as if her life depended on it. Tony's eyes locked onto her own.

"Shhh, Zi, shhh. How could I _not_ do what I did? How could I let you get hurt again? And what about our babies? I could never live with myself if we lost them. But none of that matters anymore. I'm alright, just a little beat up, you're here, and our babies are safe. That's all that matters, okay?" Ziva nodded, and leaned down, giving Tony a passionate kiss, only breaking off when Gibbs cleared his throat.

Gibbs strode over to his senior agent's bed and then promptly smacked Tony on the top of his head, as the back of Tony's head was hidden in the pillows.

"Ow! Boss, I'm injured! What was that for?" Tony yelped.

"You knocked up Ziva, so now she's out, and now you can't be working in the field for at least a week. You know I hate training new agents." Gibbs growled. His eyes softened, however, and he sighed softly, the only indication that he had been concerned about his agent.

"Get better, DiNozzo. Your family needs you." Green eyes met blue, and a look of understanding passed from the father to the father-to-be. Gibbs nodded to Tony, squeezed Ziva's shoulder, and then turned and left the room, calling out behind him.

"McGee, take the rest of the day off. I'll see you tomorrow at 0700."

"Got it boss." McGee called back. The junior agent turned to Tony and murmured a few quick words, smiled at Ziva, and then went outside the room to wait for Abby. Abby and Ducky quickly said their hellos and goodbyes, Abby giving Tony a quick hug while promising to look after Engel. The two soon left, leaving Tony and Ziva alone.

Silence filled the room, broken only by the steady beeping of Tony's heart monitor. For a while the couple was content to simply sit together, holding hands and living in the moment. It was Tony who first broke the silence.

"Ziva, I am sorry. I'm sorry to have made you worry, and so sorry for what happened to you in Som…" Ziva immediately cut her husband off.

"No. Do not apologize for what those men did to me. I do not want pity, nor do I want you feeling like what they did to me was your fault. You were right- Saleem and his men are to blame. However, they are dead now, and can no longer hurt anyone. We have much more important things to think about now, let us focus on them." Ziva rested one hand on her bulging stomach, and Tony smiled, covering her small hand with his large one.

"You know Ziva, I think we need to start thinking up names for these three. I know that most people wouldn't consider this to be the best time, but I think now is as good as any time. What do you think?" Tony asked.

"I agree Tony. I do have a few ideas of my own, but I wanted to see if you had any as well." Ziva replied.

Tony nodded in response, and then motioned for Ziva to move closer to him. For a good half-hour the two talked about names, and finally they smiled as one, coming to a decision.

"I think those names are perfect." Ziva said.

Tony nodded. "Do you want to tell the rest of the team?" he asked. Ziva shook her head in response.

"No, I would like it to be a surprise for the- oh!" she gasped, clutching at her stomach. Tony looked up, alarmed.

"Ziva! Are you alright?"

Ziva's face broke into a huge smile, excitement shining in her eyes. "Tony, they kicked! I just felt them kick! Here, feel!" Ziva pulled up her shirt so that her belly was exposed, and grabbed Tony's hand, laying it over her stomach. Tony's face lit up as he felt Ziva's belly move underneath his palm. Once, twice, thrice he felt kicks, grinning as the trio let loose with their new skill. Ziva placed her hand on his, and he looked up to see tears of joy gleaming in her eyes. He kissed her softly, not allowing his hand to move away from her belly. Ziva broke off the kiss and rubbed his hand.

"Family." she whispered. "Mishpacha".


	34. Nursery

Tony, wearing ragged old clothes and covered in paint from head to toe, and completely recovered from his gunshot wound, cautiously opened the door to his and Ziva's bedroom, carefully scanning the area for any potential weapons within her reach. Ziva, now seven and half months pregnant, was absolutely _huge,_ (although no one, not even Gibbs would dare say that to her face) and her OB/GYN and midwife had put her on bed rest to avoid too early of a birth. The combination of that and the fact that the triplets were draining almost all of Ziva's energy and were driving her hormones up, meant that Ziva suffered intense and frightening mood swings.

To put it bluntly, Ziva was almost always pissed off.

Today, however, Tony hoped that what he was visiting his wife for would cheer her up. For the past week, Tony had been working alongside Gibbs, McGee, Ducky, Abby, Jimmy and an old painter friend, Carson Péintéir*, decorating the room that was to be the triplet's nursery. The group had kept their decorating endeavors a secret from Ziva, an easy feat considering her inability to leave the couple's room. Nonetheless, Abby had insisted on posting one of them as a "guard" at the doorway at all times so that Ziva wouldn't be able to see the room until it was completed, and the rest of the team went along to humor the Goth. Now all of their hard work had finally paid off.

As Tony stepped into the room, and was greeted enthusiastically by the now 6-month-old Engel, Ziva's chocolate orbs snapped open and locked onto Tony's eyes, and he was very relieved to see that she looked relatively calm and happy. Tony smiled broadly and strode up to his bed-ridden wife, picking up her hand and kissing her knuckles.

"Hey Zi, the nursery's done. Want to take a look, Love?" Ziva's eyes sparkled in response, and she smiled happily.

"I would love to, Tony. Would you please help me up?" she said, extending a hand. Tony grasped the proffered hand firmly, placed his other arm around her shoulder, and slowly helped his heavily pregnant wife out of bed. The couple leisurely made their way down the hallway to the nursery, but then Tony stopped Ziva before they got to the doorway.

"Close your eyes" he said excitedly.

"What?"

"Come on Zi, just do it for me, pleeease?" Tony gave his wife a beseeching look, and Ziva gave a small sigh, but relented, shutting her eyes tightly and gripping Tony's hand firmly. Tony grinned, led her into the completed nursery, and, after receiving nods from the team, who were waiting in the room, leaned over to whisper into Ziva's ear.

"Alright Zi, open them."

Ziva snapped her eyes open and she gasped in amazement, causing the entire team to smile. Even though he had seen the nursery numerous times, even when it was completed, he never grew tired of it, and he could only imagine what the sight was like for Ziva.

The nursery had been decorated so that the theme was that of a tropical ocean. Carson had outdone himself on the walls, painting a breathtaking underwater ocean mural that covered all four walls. The turquoise waters of the mural were filled with beautiful sea life- leaping dolphins, calm sea turtles, colorful fish, and a reef that made an underwater paradise, and all these animals looked like they might come alive at any moment. Even the ceiling had been painted- a beautiful blue summer sky with seagulls soaring between fluffy white clouds.

The furniture of the nursery was just as, if not more beautiful than the murals. Hand-made with a honey-colored wood, the furniture had been polished and varnished until it was absolutely smooth to the touch and it gleamed in the sunlight that filtered through the window. As Tony once again took in the hand-made furniture he smiled. There was a changing table, a dresser, three cribs, and a pair of rocking chairs, side-by-side. All of them had beautiful and intricate designs carved into them- waves, boats, palm tree, sea life, all accentuated by brightly-colored paint.

But what Tony loved the most about the room was on top of the dresser. Pictures in pine frames covered the golden surface, each one arranged so that not only could the entire picture be seen, but the individual lent to the entire group, creating an artistic arrangement. There was a picture there of the entire team- Tony and Ziva, Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky and Palmer, all seated around Ducky's Thanksgiving feast and raising their glasses to the camera, another showed the "famous" Paris shot of Ziva, in black-and-white as she had requested, one of the couple at their wedding reception- both were laughing at some unknown joke and looked as happy as they could be, and dozens of other photographs that featured Tony, Ziva and the team.

But it was the photograph that Ziva picked up that was Tony's personal favorite, and from the look on Ziva's face, it was her favorite as well. The photo, a recent one, showed the two of them silhouetted against the soft yellows, oranges and pinks of a glorious sunset. Ziva and Tony were both standing sideways, facing one another, foreheads touching. Ziva's hands were resting on her swollen stomach, and Tony had his arms wrapped around Ziva's shoulders. It was a beautiful photograph, and Tony was happy that it was up front. Ziva then picked up another frame. This one was actually three frames connected by hinges, but all three were blank. She looked up at Tony, confused.

"It's for the babies. Their first pictures." Tony replied. Ziva smiled and replaced the frame, and then turned to the cribs and gasped in surprise and Tony grinned. Three beautiful, hand-knit baby blankets, two pink and one blue, lay nestled in the crib, and on top of each one was an adorable hand-made teddy bear. Each bear had dark brown fur that matched the color of Ziva's hair, but the fur around their muzzles, eyes and ears was dirty blonde, matching Tony's hair. All three bears sported identical black NCIS field jackets complete with the proper lettering and miniature badges embroidered on their hips, as well as black NCIS baseball caps. Ziva gently picked one up and began to smooth its fur, and then turned to the team. Tony could see tears forming in her eyes.

"Everything is just _wonderful._ " Ziva whispered. "How could you… how did you…" Tony wrapped his arm around Ziva, understanding the unasked question.

"Carson's an old friend of mine, and a mural artist. He owed me a favor, and he's got two kids of his own, so he likes doing nurseries." Tony responded. Abby bounced forward, picking up the blue knitted blanket.

"I told a friend of mine from Minnesota who's in college about you and the babies, and she wanted to do something, so she made the blankets- she loves to knit. She said the yarn is baby alpaca, and it's one of the softest types of yarn you'll find. They're her and my gift to you." Abby gave the blanket a squeeze, still jumping up and down. "Tim! Tim! Tell Ziva about the bears!" Tim, rolling his eyes, strode forward and put an arm around the Goth's shoulders and nodded to the stuffed bear in Ziva's arm.

"The bears are a gift from Sara and me. Sara has a friend whose mom is a teddy bear artist, so Sara asked her to make one for each of the triplets. The mom says she'll be happy to embroider the babies' names on the bears when they're born." Ziva gave Tim a quick hug, causing him to turn red and duck his head in embarrassment. Tony laughed at the younger agent, earning a glare from McGee. Ziva poked Tony in the ribs, but quickly turned her attention to one of the rocking chairs, running her hand down the smooth wood.

"Who…?"

"Wanted you to have furniture that was made right. Damn stores don't know anything about wood. Duck and my dad helped me carve and paint them." Gibb's gruff voice came from behind Ziva, and she spun around to face him, letting her tears spill from her eyes.

"Gibbs, they are gorgeous. I love them. I love everything, and I know that the babies will as well. Thank you, all of you." The team smiled at Ziva, and Abby engulfed her in a huge hug.

"Ziva, I can't wait! I'm going to be an aunt!" the Goth squealed as she broke free.

Tony smiled as well. In a little over a month, he was going to be a _dad._

…..

It was nighttime now, several hours after the unveiling of the nursery, and Tony awoke to find himself absolutely alone in the bed. Even Engel was absent from his usual spot on the floor. Tony cocked his head, listening intently until the sound of squeaking, accompanied by faint singing, hit his ears. Pulling himself out of the bed, he followed the sound until he saw soft yellow light spilling out into the hallway and came across the open door of the nursery. Tony looked in, and he smiled at the sight.

Ziva sat in one of the new rocking chairs with Engel curled up contentedly at her feet. She was rocking in time with the Hebrew lullaby she was singing, and her hand made slow circles over her round belly. Tony took in the peaceful sight, wishing that it could remain that way forever, but then he shifted and his weight caused the floorboard under his foot to squeak. Ziva immediately stopped singing and whipped her head around while Engel's head snapped up and he growled menacingly, until he realized who the "intruder" was. As soon as he recognized Tony, Engel lowered his head and beat his tail against the floor, but didn't bother to get up from his comfortable position. Tony walked over to the second rocking chair next to Ziva's, sat down, and put his hand over hers, rubbing it with his thumb.

"You okay, Zi?" he asked.

Ziva let her shoulders rise and fall in a shrug. "I have just been thinking. I am very excited to welcome the babies into this world, but in the same time I keep worrying that I will fail as a mother. I have not come from the greatest background. What kind of mother would a Mossad assassin be?" she whispered. Tony replied by reaching over and gently grabbing Ziva's chin and turning her face towards his. He then placed his hand on her cheek and caressed it softly.

"Number one, you are an _ex-_ Mossad assassin. You're an NCIS agent now, and there are plenty of agents who have families. Number two, you have me, Gibbs, Abby, McGee, Ducky and even Palmer to help you raise our children. You're never alone, Zi. And number three, and most important, I can't think of any other person on this planet who would be a better mother than you. You're amazing, absolutely amazing with children Ziva, and when our babies come your maternal instinct will take over. Yes, you won't be perfect, but no one is. You'll be the best you can be, and that will be more than enough." Ziva smiled at Tony, and he leaned over to engulf her mouth in a passionate kiss. A few moments later the two broke apart and Tony stood up, grasping Ziva's hand and helping her up. "Come on, Zi, you need your rest." With Engel following, Tony turned out the nursery light and led Ziva back into their bedroom.

Once they were there, Ziva settled into the bed, lying on her side. Tony followed suit, so that he was facing her back, and once the covers were settled over the two of them, he began to gently massage Ziva's back. Ziva let out a contented sound, pressing her back into Tony's hands, and it wasn't long before the sounds of her soft snoring filled the room. Smiling, Tony wrapped his arm around his wife, snuggled closer, and soon fell asleep.


	35. Time

_ 8 ½ months pregnant _

Deep within Ziva's body, changes were taking places. Synapses were sent from neuron to neuron, from mother to children, from children to mother.

It was time.

The triplets no longer had any growing room in the womb, it was lucky they had made it this far. And Ziva's body could no longer continue to adequately nourish them. They needed to leave in order to survive.

It was time.

Electrical pulses from Ziva's neurons sped to different glands in her body, causing them to release hormones. Meanwhile, the babies began to shift position, pointing themselves towards the birth canal.

It was time.

The hormones that had been released now traveled to the womb, triggering the cells in the uterine wall. As one they began to contract, pushing on the babies.

It was time.

Time for the triplets to be born.


	36. Birth

Ziva was resting in the DiNozzo's shared bed when the first contraction washed over her. Wincing in pain, she clutched her belly, waiting for it to stop. For the past few weeks, she had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions, but this one felt much more painful. Ziva groaned, but decided to wait. If there was another contraction, she would call Tony. Lowering her head back into the pillows, she shifted position and dozed off.

30 minutes later, Ziva awoke to a contraction that nearly stole her breath. Yelping, she clutched at her belly yet again, just barely remembering what she had learned in Lamaze class. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and waited for the pain to pass. It eventually did, but in the process it left her lower back aching. Ziva moaned and felt around on the nightstand until her fingers closed around her cell phone. Picking it up, she hit Tony's speed dial number. On the third ring Tony picked up.

"Hey Zi, what's up?" Ziva nearly cried in relief when she heard Tony's warm voice- right now she wanted nothing more than to have him there with her.

"Tony, the babies are coming. I need you to get over here. Hurry, please!" Ziva had not meant for the last statement to sound so desperate, but the pain and fear of being alone were getting to her.

"Hold on, Love, I'll be right there… what Boss?" Ziva heard Gibb's voice mutter indistinctly. "Ziva's in labor, I need to get over there right now." Tony responded. There was another brief conversation, this time with a female voice added, and then Tony's voice came back on the phone.

"Alright Ziva, hang on, okay? Abby, Gibbs and McGee are coming with me, and Ducky said he'll look after Engel. We'll be over as soon as possible. Love you." Tony hung up, and Ziva lay back in her pillow, breathing heavily.

…..

20 minutes later, a much-relieved Ziva was sitting in the back seat of one of the NCIS Chargers, breathing through another contraction. Tony was sitting next to her, one arm wrapped around her shoulder and his other hand in her iron grip, while Gibbs drove. McGee and Abby trailed the Charger in another car. As Ziva winced in pain, Tony, who was understandably nervous, looked up at his boss.

"How much further Boss- ow!" Ziva, whose contraction had passed, squeezed Tony's hand, hard.

"Tony, stop worrying. My contractions are still 30 minutes apart. It will be many hours before the babies arrive. Gibbs will get us there…"

"We're here you two." Gibbs interrupted. The Charger screeched to a halt in the parking lot of the birthing center that the couple had chosen months before. As the three got out, Tony, while helping the heavily pregnant Ziva stand, looked at his watch.

"10 minutes Boss, I'm ama- ow!" Tony winced in pain when Gibbs promptly smacked the back of his head. "Right, boss, wrong time" he grunted. Placing a supporting hand on the small of Ziva's back, he guided her to the birthing center's entrance with Gibbs, McGee and Abby following close behind him.

Once inside, the four were immediately greeted by a tanned-skinned, middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Aliza Cantor, Ziva's midwife and an Israeli-American like herself. After the group had checked in, Aliza gently led Ziva into the birthing room. The spacious area was warm and softly-lit, with a honey-colored wooden floor, a king-sized bed, several comfortable-looking reclining chairs and a large tub filled with water. As the five people filed into the room, Aliza had Ziva lie on the bed and then turned to the rest of the team.

"Tony, you will already know this, but for the sake of Gibbs, Tim and Abby, I want to explain what we hope will happen today." Aliza had a soft, comforting voice that immediately put Ziva at ease. "Ziva has chosen to have all three triplets through the natural birth process, without any medical intervention unless it is absolutely necessary. Because Ziva is strong both mentally and physically, I do not expect that there will be any serious problems, even if she is carrying three. Until Ziva feels that she needs to push, and when she is properly dilated, I am going to have her continue to move around. When the time comes, she has chosen to use the birthing pool," Aliza pointed to the large pool that was currently empty, "which will be filled further on, and we hope will help relieve some of the pain of birth. All-in-all, we want this to be as wholesome as an experience as possible not only for Ziva, but for all of you as well. Are you ready?" Tony, Gibbs, Abby and McGee nodded, and Aliza had Ziva stand up. Seconds later, Ziva doubled over with a gasp as a strong contraction hit her. She stumbled, and felt strong hands reach to support her. Following Aliza's gentle instructions, she breathed through the pain, wondering how she would be able to survive the entire birth.

…..

Eighteen very long hours later, Ziva was finally approaching the entire stage of labor, and now more than ever felt extremely lucky that she had such a supportive husband and adoptive family. Each and every one of them had been helpful in their own way, taking turns napping so that at least two people were there to help Ziva and Aliza, never stopping their encouragement through each painful contraction. Gibbs broke his usual stoic demeanor, never straying too far from his ailing agent, rubbing her head or whispering soft words of encouragement whenever he saw her losing faith. Abby remained as cheerful as ever, holding her Israeli friend's other hand, (the one that wasn't wrapped around Tony's in a death grip) trying her best to pour positive energy in the small woman's frame. McGee was a little less comfortable around Ziva than his other two teammates, but he still helped by bringing cool cloths and helping support Ziva when she was walking around.

And then there was Tony. Tony, who refused to rest, who joked with her, kissed her and all-in-all did everything he could to lessen her pain. He had remained loving and cheerful, even when she continually cursed his very existence in every language she knew. Not only had Tony endured that, but sometime during a particularly nasty contraction, Ziva had been squeezing Tony's hand when she had heard a loud _crack_ and Tony pulled his hand away with a howl- Ziva had broken his metacarpals. Luckily the birthing center was able to bring in a doctor to splint Tony's hand, and he was soon back at Ziva's side, albeit much more careful and this time wrapping his good hand in a blanket before giving it to Ziva.

Broken hands aside, Ziva's body's urge to push was becoming more and more overwhelming, and finally Aliza checked her dilation and informed Ziva that it was time to move to the now-filled birthing tub. Ziva gratefully stripped off her clothes until she was only wearing a simple black tang top, and slipped into the warm, soothing water with a relieved sigh. Tony then undressed as well to a pair of swimming trunks and carefully slid into the tub behind Ziva. He stretched out his legs so that they were on either side of Ziva, forming a sort of human "chair" for her to rest on. Using his good hand, he gently massaged Ziva's shoulders and back while murmuring words of encouragement in her ear when she rested her head on his chest. Gibbs, Abby and McGee came up around the tub and this time it was Gibbs who offered his hand to squeeze. Ziva looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Can't have an agent with two broken hands." Gibbs grunted, a small smile forming on his lips. Ziva smiled broadly in return, but any response on her part was suddenly cut short by a scream of pain. Gasping for air, Ziva laid a shaking hand on her swollen stomach.

"Aliza… I… need… to… push… NOW!" Ziva howled. Aliza placed her hand on Ziva's knee and ducked her head to check Ziva's dilation.

"Alright Ziva, you are at 10 centimeters. When you are ready to push, go ahead. Remember to breathe. Gibbs, Tim, because Tony cannot properly support Ziva while she is pushing, I am going to need one of you to help him support her on the side of his broken arm." Tim nodded at this, and carefully went to Ziva's left side, offering a supporting arm. "Are you ready Ziva?" At Ziva's hurried nod, Aliza crouched down between her spread legs and patted her knee. "Whenever you are ready, Ima."

Ziva took a deep breath, preparing to push down, but then her nerve failed her and she simply let it out. Just then she felt Tony's lips brush her neck, Abby's hand on her other knee, rubbing it gently, and Gibb's thumb rubbing her hand. Taking another breath, she gave into her urge and bore down. As the pain washed over her, Ziva threw back her head and keened- the pain of her earlier contractions had been nothing compared to this. How on earth could this natural process be more painful than being shot and tortured combined? Gasping for air, Ziva began to shake with fear, and through a haze of tears she saw the concerned faces of Abby and McGee.

"I can't… I can't do this! Oh God get them out, get them out now!" she screamed. Suddenly she felt a gentle yet firm hand on her shoulder, and Gibb's strong voice broke through the pain.

"Zivers, you're panicking. Slow down, **breathe**. You _can_ do this; you're a strong woman- you just need to trust yourself. We're all here for you, Ziva, breathe… breathe… breathe… now push." Using Gibb's voice as an anchor, Ziva took several deep, slow breaths to calm herself and bore down yet again, this time letting out a low moan. Meanwhile Aliza began to call out encouragement from between Ziva's legs.

"You are doing wonderfully, Ziva, just great! Breathe… breathe… goooood, you are doing very well. Remember, your babies know that you will deliver them safely, and you are doing beautifully. Wait- I think- yes! There, I see the head! Your firstborn is coming Ziva!"

As Ziva concentrated on her body, she could feel the first baby's body moving downward, and then she heard Abby's excited shout: "It's crowning!" Ziva gave Gibb's hand a hard squeeze, heard him grunt, and pushed, hard. Her opening started to stretch to accommodate the baby's head, and Ziva could swear she was being torn apart. Her agonized howls filled the air until suddenly the pain stopped- the baby's head had come out. Aliza instructed Ziva to rest and panting heavily, Ziva laid her head on Tony's shoulder while he ran his hand through her hair comfortingly.

"Just rest Zi, just rest. I'm so proud of you, Love." Tony murmured, lowering his lips to her sweaty brow to give her a soft kiss. Ziva managed a weak grin, and then felt the urge to push return. Bracing herself, she closed her eyes, dropped her chin to her chest and began to push with everything she had. From deep within, a primal sound emerged- part scream, part howl, part roar- and suddenly there was a splash and the pressure was gone.

"It's a girl!" Aliza called triumphantly as she lifted the squirming, screaming bundle out of the water. Ziva began to sob with relief as Aliza cut the umbilical cord and placed the squalling newborn into her arms.

"Say hello to your daughter, Ima." the midwife whispered.

Ziva's arms shook slightly from exertion, but Tony snaked his good arm around and steadied her. Peering into the baby's beautiful brown eyes, Ziva was overcome with love.

"Shalom, oh shalom my little one. We have waited so long to see you." Ziva leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on the newborn's forehead while Tony gently rubbed the baby's head with his thumb. The precious moment was soon broken, however, when Ziva experienced another contraction- the second baby was coming. Without hesitation Gibbs gentle took the newborn from Ziva's arm and helped the assistant clean and wrap her up. Exhausted by her journey, the little girl soon feel asleep, one tiny hand clutching at her grandfather's shirt, and for the first time in years the old Marine lost his heart.

Ziva smiled at the heartwarming sight, but her smile was quickly replaced by an agonized look as she began to push her second child through her birth canal. However, now that Ziva's body had delivered one baby, the second birth was comparatively easier, and after five minutes of pushing, Ziva heard the cry of their second daughter, and was soon looking into the grey eyes of their newborn. Abby gently gathered up the second girl as Ziva began to push for a final time.

Finally, after eight solid minutes of pushing, at 5:13 in the morning of March 25th, the third and final DiNozzo triplet, the boy, was born. Exhausted, weak and yet very, very elated, Ziva held her son, who watched his mother with sparkling green eyes, while Gibbs and Abby brought over her two daughters. As the DiNozzos took in their newborns, Tony gave Ziva a kiss on the cheek.

"Look at them Zi, they're perfect." he whispered, clearly in awe. Ziva gave a tired nod in response.

"Ken, Tony, they are perfect. Shalom Caitlin. Shalom Tali. Shalom Isaiah. Welcome to the world."


	37. Perfect

He was a father.

_A father._

Staring down at the shaking, sweaty, disheveled Ziva and the equally grubby Isaiah held in her arms, Tony swore that his wife had never looked more beautiful than she did now. As Tony ran his uninjured hand over his newborn son's peach fuzz, he marveled at the tiny bundle, no more than 15 inches long and weighing only 6 pounds. Isaiah's sisters, Caitlin and Tali, were no bigger than he was, due to the fact that they all had little room to grow. Nonetheless, as far as Tony could tell, the three were healthy, and in his view, perfect.

After a few more minutes of rest, Ziva handed Isaiah to a somewhat nervous-looking McGee, and then quickly delivered the placenta, which Aliza placed in a biohazard bin. Once she was done, Ziva grasped the rim of the tub and slowly and carefully pulled herself out, leaning heavily on Tony. Once she was out, Aliza and her assistant helped Ziva get cleaned off and changed into a loose-fitting blouse and a pair of comfortable sweatpants. Once Ziva was changed, she leaned on Tony and allowed him to lead her over to the king-sized bed, and once settled in, she opened her arms and Gibbs placed Caitlin in them. Abby, with the help of McGee, pulled a chair next to Ziva and laid Tali up close to her mother while McGee handed Isaiah over to Tony, who held him carefully in his good arm. As soon as everyone was situated around the new family, Gibbs rubbed Ziva's shoulder, a small smile on his face.

"Congrats Ziva, I'm proud of you. What are their names?" he asked. Ziva smiled and bounced Caitlin a little.

"This is Caitlin Adi. Caitlin, of course, after Kate, and Adi means "jewel" in Hebrew. Abby is holding Tali Jennifer- for my sister and Jenny, and Tony has Isaiah Jethro- Isaiah means "Yahweh is salvation", and Jethro- well, I think you all would know who that comes from." Tony looked up at Gibbs, who had bowed his head.

"I'm honored, Ziva." he said quietly.

Smiling, Tony gazed at each of his children. He started with Isaiah, who was sleeping peacefully in his father's strong arm. Tony's son had his mother's looks- her olive skin and dark hair- although his hair was no more than soft fuzz covering the top of his head. However Isaiah's eyes, when Tony had seen them, belonged to his father- forest green. Smiling, Tony looked over at his firstborn, Caitlin, who was the opposite of her younger brother. Where Isaiah looked like his mother, Caitlin had inherited her father's lighter skin and dirty blonde hair, although like her brother, it was little more than fuzz. However, Caitlin's eyes were her mother's through and through- deep chocolate pools that Tony knew he would always fall for later in life. Finally Tony looked at Tali. Tali looked almost exactly like her older sister except for one difference- her eyes were a grayish-blue, not brown. To Tony, all of his children were absolutely perfect. Abby seemed to think so as well.

"Oh my God, Ziva, I have the world's most beautiful godchildren!" the Goth whispered, careful to not wake the three. "They're all so small, and so cute, and so peaceful, and… and… and… oh Timmy, I want one!" she finished with a soft squeal.

At this, Tim's eyes widened, and Tony had to stifle a laugh- the junior agent looked absolutely  _petrified_. Seeing the look on his face, Abby smiled knowingly and passed Tali over to McGee. At first Tim looked a little nervous as he carefully held the newborn, but then Tali shifted and grabbed his shirt in her tiny fist, never once waking up. As McGee looked down at the tiny baby, his nervous look vanished, and a soft, caring one replaced it on his round face. It was clear that he was smitten.

"Tony, Ziva, thank you for letting me be their godfather." Tim whispered, never letting his eyes leave Tali's face. "It really is an honor." Ziva smiled.

"I would not have it any other way." she said. Tim grinned, but just then Caitlin shifted and let out a lusty cry, making Aliza smile.

"I know that sound." the midwife said as she headed over. "Miss Caitlin is hungry. It's probably time to let the new family receive some alone time." she finished, looking at Gibbs. Gibbs, catching her drift, nodded.

"Alright, anyone who is  _not_ the biological family of the triplets needs to leave. Take today off; go home and get some rest. We'll come back tomorrow. Abs," he grunted to the Goth, who had taken Tali back and was looking very unhappy, "that means you have to give Tali back. You'll get plenty of chances to hold her, but right now Ziva and Tony need to bond with their babies." Abby pouted, but reluctantly handed Tali over to Aliza, after giving the newborn a kiss, and then left with McGee. Gibbs waited until the two of them were gone, and then turned back to the couple.

"Congrats, you two." he said. "And… thank you for allowing me to become a grandfather."

…..

After Gibbs had left, Aliza had her assistant hold Tali and then taught Ziva how to nurse Caitlin. It took the former Israeli a while, but eventually she got the newborn to latch on properly, and soon Caitlin had taken in her fill and was now sleeping peacefully. Isaiah had cried out soon after Caitlin had finished and was fed as well, and now Ziva was in the process of trying to get Tali to latch onto her breast. It wasn't too long before Tali got the gist of it, and soon the infant's tiny jaws were vigorously sucking, filling the air with the peaceful sound.

As Tony watched his middle child nurse, he realized that something about her was bothering him. It took him a while, but he finally pinpointed it. When Caitlin and Isaiah were nursing, Ziva had been singing to them in Hebrew, and they had kept their eyes on her the whole time. Tali, however, did not. Rather than watching her mother's eyes, Tali simply looked straight ahead into her mother's chest.

Tony quickly realized that he wasn't the only one watching Tali- Aliza was gazing at the newborn with a slight frown on her face. When Tali finished nursing, Aliza gently took her from Ziva's arms so that Ziva could re-button her blouse. However, when Ziva was finished, rather than handing Tali back, Aliza said something to her assistant, causing the woman to hurry off. Seeing the concerned look on Ziva's face, Aliza gave a quick smile.

"You will get Tali back, Ziva, but there is something I want to see. Something just does not look right here." Just then the assistant came back with a small flashlight, and Aliza handed Tali back to Ziva.

"Can you hold her out flat? Yes, just like that." Aliza turned on the flashlight and shined the beam into the infant's eyes. Rather than flinching and turning her head away, Tali simply stared blankly up at the light, and Tony noticed that her pupils did not dilate. Seeing this, Tony felt an uneasy feeling growing in his gut. Aliza tsked, shutting off the flashlight, and then carefully brought her finger close to the infant's eyes. Tali didn't react. Aliza pulled back with a sigh.

"Ziva, Tony, I am sorry to have to tell you this, but I believe Tali is blind."


	38. With Her Ears, Hands and Heart

" _Ziva, Tony, I am sorry to have to tell you this, but I believe Tali is blind."_

The day after the triplet's birth, Ziva and Tony were sitting in a waiting room. Kate, Tali and Isaiah lay in separate carriers at their feet, all, thankfully, fast asleep. Tony and Ziva had brought all of them into the clinic to be examined by an ophthalmologist, hoping to get solid results. They not only wanted to see what was wrong with Tali's eyes, but they also wanted to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with Kate and Isaiah's as well.

As Ziva waited for the triplet's test results, she heard a small sound and looked down to see that Tali was waking up. Tali shifted, and then opened her eyes. Even though she was blind, Tali still opened and closed her eyes for waking and sleeping. Now the little girl's calm grey eyes were open- even though she couldn't see, her eyes still conveyed emotion. Ziva reached down into the carrier and pulled Tali out, crooning softly to her. Tali gave a small squeak and buried her head in her mother's chest, clearly listening to her heartbeat. Just then Ziva heard footsteps and looked up to see the doctor walk in.

The ophthalmologist, named Dr. Jason Paro, was about Gibb's age with hazel eyes and grey hair, and he had a guarded look on his face. Seeing this look, Ziva tensed up, causing Tali to start. Ziva quickly rubbed gentle circles on her girl's back, while watching the doctor with a piercing gaze. Dr. Paro set down his clipboard and ran a hand over his face.

"Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo- first off, I want to let you know that both Caitlin and Isaiah's eyes are perfectly fine, so the blindness is not hereditary. However, the tests revealed that there appears to be something wrong not with Tali's eyes, but the optic nerve itself- for some reason it never fully developed, and as a result, there is no connection from the eyes to the brain, so she is unable to really 'see' anything. And because this damage is so severe, I am sorry to say that we would be unable to repair it- Tali will be blind for the rest of her life. I am so sorry." Dr. Paro's shoulder's sagged, and Ziva felt tears well up in her eyes. Tony's bad arm wrapped itself around her shoulder, and Ziva struggled to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over.

"Oh Tali" she whispered. The infant, hearing the sadness in her mother's voice, looked up, whimpering softly. Ziva placed a soft kiss on Tali's forehead. Just then Dr. Paro spoke.

"Actually, Mrs. DiNozzo, Tali is demonstrating something that I noticed earlier- because she was born blind, she has already learned to adapt, and adapt well with her other senses. She probably doesn't even know that she has a handicap- to her, the world has been, and always will be, one of sound, scent, taste and touch, but not sight." Despite the doctor's well-meaning words, Ziva was unable to shake her sorrow. Seeing her continued distress, Dr. Paro rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't lose hope, Mrs. DiNozzo. Your daughter may surprise you yet." Ziva nodded, and Tony helped her up, saying a quick thank-you to the doctor as they left.

…..

"Shhhhh, Tali, shhhh. Ima is right here, little one. I know, I know, you are hungry, are you not?" Ziva carefully lifted Tali out of her homemade crib and rocked the crying infant in her arms as she made her way over to the rocking chairs. Tony, who was already occupying one, was busy feeding Kate, using a feeding pillow, thanks to the lack of two good arms. A bassinet, which Gibbs had recently finished and was occupied by a sleeping Isaiah, lay at Tony's feet, and he steadily rocked it while humming a wordless tune.

Ziva couldn't help but to smile at the sight. The triplets were only a week old and yet keeping up with all three of them, along with the shock of Tali's blindness, meant many sleepless nights and exhausting days. Gibbs, considering his dislike of new agents, had been extremely accommodating for the couple, allowing Tony to stay home for up to a month to help get the newborns situated. And Tony had been absolutely wonderful, getting up in the middle of the night, more often than Ziva, to feed, change or comfort the newborns. He kept insisting that Ziva had take it easy on her body, and in a way he was right. Although the babies were no longer taking nutrients directly from Ziva's body as they had been while she was pregnant, she still had to feed all of them, and refused to use a formula. This of course meant that when Ziva wasn't feeding one of the babies, more often than not she was pumping milk to store for when she physically couldn't feed them. It was exhausting.

Now Ziva unclasped her nursing bra for the fourth time that day. Using words and touch, she coaxed Tali to latch on, and sighed when the connection was made. Despite the demand made on her body, Ziva couldn't help but to love the bond that nursing her children created.

Ziva looked down lovingly at Tali. Although the former Israeli was starting to get used to her daughter's blindness, she couldn't help but to still feel sorrow for her daughter. True, Tali never seemed at all bothered by her lack of sight, and true the little girl was completely healthy in all other aspects, but to an ex-Mossad officer, whose sight was crucial, Tali's handicap was devastating to Ziva.

But today, everything was going to change.

As Ziva sat back and let Tali nurse, she got lost in her thoughts. Suddenly Ziva felt something brush her bare skin. She immediately looked down, but only saw Tali, jaws working away as she nursed. Just as Ziva was once again going to look away, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking at Tali, she saw the infant reach a tiny hand out and brush it against her mother's skin, but this time, instead of pulling her hand away, Tali kept her hand where it was, resting it over her mother's heart. Ziva's eyes widened.

"Tony" she whispered. Tony, who had just finished feeding and burping Kate and was now just resting in the chair, jerked upright, causing the girl to cry. He quickly calmed her down, and then looked over at the pair. Ziva heard his breath catch.

"Zi, she's using her hands to 'see' you" he murmured, causing Tali's hand to turn slightly. When he didn't speak again, Tali turned back, keeping her tiny hand on her mother's heart. She finished her meal soon after, and Ziva gently raised her onto her shoulder and burped her.

When Ziva removed Tali from her shoulder, she noticed that she was wide awake, and an idea sprung into her head. She rose from the rocking chair and, without a word, walked over to the door. Tony looked up, a confused look in his eyes.

"Zi?" he asked.

"Can you put Kate and Isaiah in their cribs? I will be in the master bedroom." Tony still looked confused, but he did as she asked and then followed her to the bed. Ziva handed him Tali, and then removed her blouse and lay down in the bed.

"Tony, please give her to me" she murmured. Tony gently lowered his daughter into Ziva's arms, and then went to the other side of the bed and got in. As soon as Tony was situated, Ziva laid Tali on her chest and then waited, ignoring Tony's inquisitive look. At first Tali just lay where she was, and then suddenly she reached out with a hand. The little girl's fingers poked and grasped as Tali explored the new area, and Ziva smiled at the fluttering sensation. Suddenly, on a whim, she began to softly sing a Hebrew lullaby. Looking over at Tony, she saw his green eyes fill with tears, and he quietly added a bass harmony. Tali's fingers froze, and she made a happy little squeak, resting her head on her mother's chest. Her grey eyes closed, and Ziva, overcome by emotion, lowered her hand so that Tali could grasp her fingers, and continued to sing, tears rolling down her cheek.

…..

(Tali's POV)

_Contrary to what the doctor had said, Tali had always known that sight existed. How couldn't she, when her sister, whom she had shared a placenta with, could see, and let her know? She knew her brother could see as well, but because they had been separated by a membrane, she wasn't as close to Isaiah as she was to Kate. So it was through her sister that Tali had discovered the idea of sight._

_And quite frankly, she didn't care that she didn't have it._

_Why would she need it? Her other senses had so much more to offer! Right now, for example, she could smell her mother's sweet flowers-and-milk scent and her father's musky scent. She could feel her mother's warm, smooth skin beneath her fingers._

_But most importantly, she could hear._

_Ever since Tali's ears had fully developed in the womb, she had been acutely in tune with the wonderful world of sound. She heard almost everything: from the tiny movements her siblings had made in their watery, suspended world, to the constant thunder of her mother's heart, something that she had always found comforting._

_And now, now Tali heard the most beautiful sound of all: her parents' singing. Her mother's rich, accented alto voice wove a melody through the air. Although Tali was unable to understand the words, the song itself was gorgeous, made even more so when her father added his bass voice into a perfect harmony._

_As the music surrounded her, Tali found herself becoming very sleepy. She lowered her head onto her mother's chest so that she could hear the comforting heartbeat, and wrapped her fingers around her mother's pinkie when it was offered to her._

_Safe, warm and loved, Tali slipped into sleep._


	39. Smile

It was a beautiful spring day when Tony and Ziva brought the triplets to NCIS headquarters for the first time. In the elevator, Engel was at his people's feet, tail lashing and nose twitching at the new smells. Already he had gotten used to the babies, and while it seemed that he wasn't  _quite_ sure what to make of them, he was careful around them. The triplets, when they were awake, were utterly fascinated by him, and whenever he came by they all started cooing and reaching for him.

The elevator doors finally 'dinged' open, Tony, Ziva and Engel walked (or in Engel's case,  _leapt_ ) out of the elevator, and suddenly the air was filled with applause. Everyone was standing, craning their necks to get a good look at the new arrivals, and as the couple made their way to the bullpen, they were greeted with smiles and congratulatory phrases. Once in they were in the bullpen, most of their co-workers went back to work, and the DiNozzos were greeted by the entire team- Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Palmer and even Director Vance. To everyone's surprise, Director Vance was the first to step forward, extending his hand once the triplets were set down.

"Agent DiNozzo, Agent David, you have my congratulations, and Jackie's as well" the Director said. After shaking their hands, he looked at each of the babies, and a small smile crossed his face. "They are all beautiful you two, you should be proud. I wish I could stay longer, but I am needed at MTAC. Congratulations, and good luck." Slightly put off by the director's formal tone, Tony and Ziva could only nod.

Vance had barely left the bullpen when there was an excited squeal from Abby, and she engulfed Tony and Ziva in separate, bone-crushing hugs. She then reached down and scooped Tali out of her carrier, cooing softly to the little girl. Tali, who was ever the curious one, cocked her head at the new voice, and then raised a tiny hand to Abby's face, giving off her own coos as she explored this new person. As Tali's hand continued to brush over her godmother's face, Ziva saw a tear trickle down Abby's face, which was promptly wiped away by Tali as she continued to explore.

"My God Ziva, she's so sweet. You'd never know that's she's blind the way she acts!" the Goth whispered. Ziva smiled and ran a hand through her daughter's peach-fuzz hair.

"I do not think that she even knows that she is blind Abby. She does like to listen for and hear everything. I swear that nothing gets past her." Abby laughed as the little girl found one of her pigtails and began to play with it for a few minutes. Suddenly Tali yawned and, after adjusting her grip on the pigtail, snuggled closer to her godmother and promptly fell asleep. The peaceful scene was suddenly shattered when a frightened cry split the air and everyone looked over to see Tim, with a frightened look on his face, backing away from Isaiah's carrier, where the tiny infant was bawling loudly.

"Hey McCreeper, quit stalking my son!" Tony barked. His tone was harsh, but Ziva could hear the light-hearted undertone, and could see the teasing sparkle in his eyes as he walked over to the mortified junior agent, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.

"Don't worry too much, Probie. Isaiah tends to warm up slower to new people. Here" Tony leaned over and gently pulled his squalling son from his carrier, bouncing him up and down. "Hey little bud, this is your Uncle Tim. I know he looks weird," Tim shot Tony a glare, "but he's harmless, just don't call him Probie. Alright McGee, hold out your arms- yep, just like that, there ya go." Tim wrapped his strong arms around the squirming bundle, and the apprehension on the agent's round face was replaced by a goofy grin when Isaiah found his tie and began to play with it. Ziva laughed at the sight.

"He does like you Tim. When our neighbors came over to welcome our newborns, he would not allow anyone other than Tony and myself to hold him." Just then an indignant cry filled the air and Ziva let out a sigh. "Alright Caitlin, we have not forgotten about you" Ziva said as she picked up their firstborn. Kate, as soon as she was removed from her carrier, began to squirm and babble excitedly, her tiny hands and feet beating a tattoo in the air as her mother held her up, causing the entire team to laugh. Gibbs came over and gently took the excited girl in his arms.

"Reminds me of Kelly when she was this young. Always afraid she'd squirm right out of my arms, but she never did." Ziva looked up, interested. This was the first time she had heard him speak of his daughter. However, Gibbs was no longer looking at her, but instead had all of his attention focused on Kate, who had now grabbed one of his suit lapels and was pulling on it. As Gibbs rescued his suit and gave his finger to the girl to play with instead, he chuckled quietly.

"Kind of reminds you of her namesake, doesn't she?" he murmured, and Tony nodded. As Gibbs watched his granddaughter play with his fingers, a lone tear tricked down his stoic face. Quickly he wiped it away and looked at Ducky, who had taken Tali from Abby and was now examining her thoroughly.

"Duck, you know she and her siblings have already been looked over by several doctors" the old Marine growled to his friend. Ducky merely snorted in response.

"I am sure that they have, Jethro, but how would  _they_ know just how special these three are? I want to make sure that my adopted nieces and nephew are healthy!" Ducky smiled as Tali found his bowtie to tug at it. "My, my Miss Tali, you and your sister are going to be a pair of head turners, aren't you? With your beautiful grey eyes, her beautiful brown ones, and your perfect faces, well, I dare say that your mother and father will have their work cut out for them trying to keep all the boys at bay!"

"Ducky! They are only infants!" Ziva reprimanded the old Scotsman. She couldn't help but to laugh, however at the ME's statement, and Ducky laughed alongside her.

"In all seriousness, my dear, congratulations. Caitlin, Tali and Isaiah are all beautiful children, and they are very lucky indeed to have you and Anthony as parents." Ziva smiled, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"Thank you Ducky. That was very kind of you to say. The three of them are lucky to have everyone here as their family." Looking up at the team, Ziva let a stray tear fall. "Thank you, all of you, for being there for them, and us." The team smiled, and Abby cheered.

"Picture time!" the Goth called. There were some rolled eyes, but the team knew it was best to humor the Goth, so they let her order them all into place. Once everyone was situated, Abby handed her camera over to one of their co-workers, who set it up.

"Alright everyone, on the count of three, smile. 1…2…3…smile!"


	40. I Love You

Later that night, the triplets were all fed, washed and changed, and now they were all sleeping peacefully in their beautiful nursery, while Engel "guarded" them. While Engel still wasn't all that sure about the newborns, it was clear that he was starting to warm up to them, and his guarding instinct had started to take over- he was now sleeping in the nursery and would only leave to alert Tony or Ziva when one of them started to cry.

Tony and Ziva were lying in their bed, arms around one another, gazing at the photograph that had been taken earlier that day. In the center was the family, Tony and Ziva were smiling broadly while carefully holding all three triplets- Isaiah on the right, Tali in the middle, and Kate on the left. Tim and Abby stood on Ziva's right side. Tim's arm was wrapped around Abby's shoulder, and she was snuggling up against the computer-savvy agent. On Tim's left, directly behind Tony and Ziva, Gibbs stood, a proud look on his face. And on Gibb's left were Ducky and Jimmy, laughing at some joke the two had shared just before the camera had taken a picture. The picture quality was perfect, and Tony and Ziva planned to get a copy for their room and the triplet's.

Tony eventually placed the picture back on the nightstand, gently took Ziva's face in his hands, and began to kiss her. Suddenly he stopped, and Ziva looked up, confused.

"Tony…?" Tony stopped her by placing his finger on her lips.

"Zi, do you realized just how much our lives have changed in a little over a year? You got shot by Melek…"

"And you then proposed…" Ziva said, catching on.

"We got married…"

"Melek's revenge… Oh God, our poor child…" Ziva let a lone tear trickle down her cheek, and Tony gently brushed it away.

"Yes, we lost so much, but gained so much more, Zi. We're finally together, and we have three very beautiful children" he stated, kissing his wife gently on the forehead. Suddenly Ziva chuckled, shaking her head.

"What is it, Zi?" Tony asked.

"They were only three words Tony. Three simple words, and I could not say them to you. It took a near-death experience for me to realize my feelings for you. It took a gunshot for me to be able to say this to you." Ziva's brown eyes locked into Tony's green ones.

"I love you."


End file.
